


Smallville's prodigal son

by JuneP



Category: Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Man of Steel (2013), Superman - All Media Types
Genre: Action & Romance, Adventure & Romance, Declarations Of Love, F/M, Falling In Love, First Love, Friendship/Love, Love, Love Confessions, Romance, True Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-25
Updated: 2020-12-29
Packaged: 2021-03-04 01:02:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 22
Words: 52,414
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24915070
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JuneP/pseuds/JuneP
Summary: Clark and Brooke were best friends, but they were in love with each other. Clark leaves after graduation to find his identity, and returns to Smallville after seven years. Can he find love next to Brooke? Can Brooke forgive him?
Relationships: Clark Kent & Original Female Character(s), Clark Kent/Original Female Character(s), Henry Cavill/Clark Kent
Comments: 61
Kudos: 32





	1. Reunion

**Author's Note:**

> I'm writing this story inspired by the Clark character from Man of Steel. I've always liked to imagine that the character had always been in love with someone.  
> I hope you like it. I would love to read your opinions :)
> 
> Important: English is not my mother tongue, so if you see mistakes and want to correct me I will be very grateful.
> 
> Note: I imagine Clark as Henry Cavill and Brooke as Diana Agron.
> 
> Thank you!
> 
> Disclaimer: This character does not belong to me, nor am I making any profit with this. It is a fictional story fruit of my mind. I do not authorize this story to be published on other platforms without my consent. Please don't copy it. Thanks: D

"Brooke!" I heard Martha call me from the backyard. I opened the door, and I saw her heading toward the old red pickup that Clark used to drive. I usually avoided thinking about the person who used to be my best friend because it is the same person that I hadn't know anything for a long time.

Why was I trying not to think about him?

Easy.

It hurt me.

Thinking of Clark hurt so much, mostly since I had not seen him for the last nine years. The last time I had seen him was on the night of my nineteenth birthday, when he left town, disappearing and leaving me alone in the middle of a cornfield.

I remember thinking at first that he was playing a bad joke on me, but the next day, when I realized he was truly gone, the pain was devastating. 

***** Flashback *****

<< "We've already spoken about this a million times. You don't understand it, Brooke." Clark said calmly. 

"What I do not understand?" I replied to him.

"You don't understand what it's like to feel that you don't belong anywhere. What it is to live and grow up without knowing who you really are."

We had had the same conversation a hundred times, and just like the first time, his words bothered me. 

"I do know who you are," I took a step in his direction. "You're Clark Kent, the smartest and most reserved guy in town. This is your home, and of course, you belong here, belong to this town, to your family and… to me. You belong to me." I ended with a trembling voice. 

I do not know why I said the last part. Probably because that's how I felt it for a long time. I was deeply in love with the farm boy. I had always dreamed of growing up and leaving Smallville to move to Metropolis but what I most wanted now was for the person in front of me to stay in this small town with me.

"Brooke, please don't say those things." He murmured pleadingly.

"Why?" 

"Because it confuses me."

"Yeah. Me too." I agreed.

I focused on the gravel under my feet. My instincts told me that Clark would leave me anyway that night, no matter what I said. I did not realize that I was crying until he caught my chin and gently lifted my face.

"Don't cry, please." He begged as he wiped away a tear with his thumb. He cupped my face and stared at me.

"Don't go." I sobbed, putting my hands on his.

Clark closed his eyes and rested his forehead on mine. 

"I have to. You know better than anyone." He said.

I shook my head. Clark hugged me, and I buried my face in his chest. I cried for a while, and he was there, holding me back.

"Shh, please don't cry anymore," as he spoke, he touched my back gently. My heart jumped so hard I was sure he had noticed it. "Brooke, I need you to promise me one thing." 

I shrugged without turning away and still hugging him, so he knew he was listening.

"I want you to take care of yourself, and I want you to be free and happy," he whispered.

It took me a moment to understand that the boy I was in love with was saying goodbye to me. I had a million things to say to him, and it seemed that he had already told me everything.

"Why do I have to promise you that?" I asked, pulling away from his body. "If you really cared about me, you wouldn't leave,  _ Kent _ ."

" _ Kent  _ ?" Clark looked at me, confused. It was the first time that I used his last name to refer to him.

"Yeah,  _ Kent _ ," I repeated. "If you leave, for me, you will stop being Clark because you'll have broken my heart. And the Clark I know would never do that to me."

"Brooke, please, don't make it more difficult for me."

I looked into his deep blue eyes, and I could see the enormous suffering behind them. Clark had always been my support, and deep down, I knew that, even if my heart broke into a thousand irreparable pieces, what he needed from me now was the same. I have to support him. So I gave up. 

"Where are you going?" I asked him.

"I don't know."

"When are you coming back?"

"I don't know."

"Are you going to keep in touch?"

"I'll try."

"Are you going to forget me?" My voice broke when I asked that question. 

"I could never forget you," he assures firmly. "Are you going to forget me?"

"I couldn't either," I muttered, defeated. 

"May I give you one more hug before I go?" He asked quietly. 

Without answering, I was the one who closed the distance between us and hugged his waist. I hid my face in his chest again, and he rested his head on mine. 

"I'm going to miss this." He spoke against my hair.

"Me too."

"Take care, Brooke." He said when he released me.

Three words. I observed Clark as he turned around and walked towards the road that linked my house with his. As Clark walked away without looking back, something moved inside me, and then, I started running. 

"Clark! Wait!" I screamed.

He stopped and turned to face me. 

When I was close, I jumped, and he caught me with his muscular arms as if he could anticipate my actions. I wrapped my hands behind his neck, and without giving him time to react, I kissed him. I kissed him as I had never kissed anyone, holding him against me and releasing my feelings. When I realized that he wasn't kissing me back, I pulled back slightly regretful. Without opening his eyes and keeping his hands on my waist, Clark carefully placed me on the floor.

"Brooke." He whispered.

"Clark," I replied softly.

He opened his eyes.

"Brooke," he approached me slowly. "Brooke," he repeated my name, making me really want to kiss him again. Our lips were two centimeters away.

"Clark, I'm sorry, I shouldn't..." I couldn't finish the sentence because this time, it was he who kissed me. He pulled me into his arms and gave me a soft and sweet kiss. A kiss that was both beginning and farewell. His tongue entered my mouth, and I almost melted. When he separated, he smiled at me with his perfect smile, and I held my breath without knowing what to say or where that left us. 

"I'm glad you did it. I would never have dared to kiss you." Clark suddenly seemed very happy.

I smiled at him back. 

"Clark, I lov..." his huge hand covered my mouth, and his expression turned dark.

"Don't say it," he implored. "because if I hear you say it, I won't be able to leave."

I nodded, noticing the tears returning to my eyes. After all, Clark was going to leave anyway. What did I expect? He wasn't going to stay here for one kiss.

He removed his hand from my mouth and observed me for a few seconds with bright eyes. Without saying anything else, he turned away. He ran, disappearing in the middle of the night before I could say goodbye. >>

*****End of Flashback *****

"Brooke!" I came back to reality when Martha called me again. "I'm going to Andy's for a moment because they need a bit of help with tomorrow's preparations!"

"Okay!" I yelled from the porch. 

"Will you manage the rest of the recipe by yourself?"

"Of course, don't worry about it!"

"Thanks, honey." She waved goodbye and got into the truck.

When Martha left, I went back into the house. That day I couldn't resist, and I stopped to look at the old photograph hanging on the wall, in which Clark and I were smiling at prom, just a few months before he left. I touched his face with my index finger and wondered if I would see him again. 

Annoyed with me, I returned to the kitchen. I was used to living without Clark, and letting my mind wander through the memories only brought me suffering. I read the recipe aloud from the book that Martha had left open for me, and I started making the muffins that Jamie, my sister, needed to sell on her last week of high school. I was so focused that I lost track of time. As soon as I was done mixing the ingredients, I poured the mixture into the pan and put it in the oven. I sat down. I rested my arms on the table and hid my head inside. I closed my eyes, and I tried to blank my mind like I had learned to do in yoga. After a while, I heard the front door open.

"Martha, I'm sorry. I've done what I could, but I think that pastry is not my thing." I spoke with my forehead still resting on the table.

I raised my head when she didn't answer me back, and I was in shock because in front of me stood a changed and imposing Clark Kent.

It was not possible. 

I blinked a couple of times, but Clark was still there when I opened my eyes again. He seemed just as shocked as I was. Clark was standing next to the door, even taller than the last time I had seen him. He had tousled hair and a bad trimmed beard, which hid part of his face, and was wearing an old gray t-shirt and on top of it a shirt, also gray, with a couple of buttons open. He had a large backpack hanging from his shoulder. 

The tears that were accumulating in my eyes made it difficult for me to continue studying him. 

"Hello, Brooke." He broke the silence.

I got up out of the chair. Clark's voice sounded more profound than I remembered.

Seriously? He had not seen me for a lot of years, and that was all he had to say?

He placed his backpack on the ground without stop looking at me. I realized then that his eyes welled up as he held back his tears.

"You look good." He added, giving me a wide smile.

Automatically I backed up, hitting the counter.

The smile froze on his face and turned into a weird grimace. I grabbed my braid and twisted it, something that I did whenever I felt nervous.

"Brooke, are you..." before he could end talking, the oven began to beep.

I thanked the universe for the distraction as I bent down and opened the oven's door so I could pull out the pan. I had done it so fast, and I was so nervous that I have forgotten to wear the oven mitts. I screamed when I burned my skin, and I dropped the pan. Before the muffins landed on the floor, I already had Clark by my side. 

When he touched my hand to examined it, I felt dazed by the warmth of his skin. He gently pushed me toward the table and helped me sit down. 

"I'm going to put ice in your palm, so it doesn't get inflamed." He murmured while looking me in the eye. 

Without saying anything else, he grabbed an ice pack from the freezer. He wrapped it in a cloth and placed it gently on my bruised skin. At that moment, when I felt the cold of the ice, I was aware that everything was real. Clark was really here, and then the tears that were gathering behind my eyes suddenly burst out. 

"Brooke, relax. It's a superficial burn. You'll be fine." He assured, assuming I was crying from the burn. 

The last thing I had imagined that day was having Clark kneel in front of me, holding my hand as his life depended on it. Clark never came back in my dreams, and I always ran to catch him but never reach him.

He carefully wiped my tears away with a tissue. That reminded me of when we were 16, and I fell off my bike. Before I could process what happened to me, I already had Clark by my side, helping me get up. The situation was similar and at the same time so different from then because, at that time, I felt Clark closer than ever. Even though I had him in front of me, I felt him so far away that it seemed we were from different planets.

"Clark? Son, is that you?" Martha's voice echoed somewhere.

I had not realized that she came back. I was too shocked to notice anything other than Clark's presence. 

He gave me a sweet look before taking my free hand to replace his, holding the ice against my skin. 

"Of course, it's me, mom." He got up and opened his arms to hug his mother.

"You didn't tell me you were coming." Martha reproached, still hugging him. "I would have cooked your favorite meal."

Clark chuckled. When they separated, Martha saw the kitchen, with the oven open, the muffins on the floor, and with me in tears.

"Honey, are you okay?" Martha asked me.

"She burned her hand when she opened the oven," Clark explained to her. 

"Come with me," she said to me. "I have a great lotion for burns."

Martha guided me to the bathroom, and I once again, I felt that she was the mother that I lost a lot of years ago.

When we returned to the kitchen, everything was clean. Clark was standing by the door and looked at me with such intensity that I had to turn my face away.

"Brooke, what do you think about we make the muffins again?" Martha asked with a smile. "Clark, in the meantime, can bring us both up to date, right, honey?" she observed her son.

I shook my head. The last thing that I needed was to know what Clark had been up to in those seven years since I had seen him. 

"Don't worry, Martha, I'll buy something," I murmured quickly. "I want to rest."

Martha nodded without complaint, probably because she knew me very well and indeed because the last time she had seen me this upset was when her son had left. 

"Clark, can you drive Brooke to her house?" 

"It isn't necessary," I didn't give Clark the chance to speak. "I prefer to walk," I said in a rush as I hurried to the door. "Goodbye." I passed next to Clark without looking at him. 

I did not even go to my car that was parked next to Kent's barn. My hand hurt enough that I didn't want to drive. I would come back for it tomorrow.

I was surprised at how quickly I get home; while I was walking, I couldn't stop to think about the moment with Clark, over and over again.

When I got home, I went into the bathroom. Maybe a shower would help me clear my head. I looked at my reflection in the mirror. I was far away from the excellent aspect with which I had left home that morning. My braid had practically come off me, and my blonde hair was stained with chocolate. The mascara had smeared slightly, and I looked like a raccoon. Besides, my dress was stained with egg and flour. That was how I looked on the outside. On the inside, it was much worse. 

I had fantasized about my reunion with Clark so many times. And I had imagined it in a million different ways. Sometimes I kissed him, others I hugged him, but I never imagined that I wouldn't even have the courage to speak in reality and that, besides, I would burn my hand in the process.

I took a deep breath.

The prodigal son had returned to Smallville.


	2. Worthy of you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clark goes to visit Brooke, and finds her drunk. She, prompted by alcohol, tells him everything she thinks and feels.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Important: English is not my mother tongue, so if you see mistakes and want to correct me I will be very grateful. Also I would appreciate your reviews :)
> 
> I hope you like this chapter.

After the shower, I felt much better. I wore my pajamas, short pants, and an oversize shirt, which weren't evenly matched. I wrapped a towel around my hair and left the bathroom. Then, I sat up in my bed and untangled my hair. Tonight my sister was sleeping at her boyfriend's house. I was very grateful because I didn't know how I would explain to Jamie why I was agitated. 

<<Hi Jamie, do you remember Clark? Yeah, the one who was my best friend. Well, he's back in town. Right, it's the same guy that I couldn't finish confessing my feelings too when I was young. The same guy who left town to find himself, destroying me in the process.>>

I shook my head and forced myself to push those thoughts out of my mind. I did not know how long Clark would stay in Smallville, but I did know that I have to stay away from him. I had already mourned his loss, and if I let him enter into my life again, I would regret it. 

I went down to the kitchen, and I grabbed a cold beer. Before I realized it, I had already drunk two bottles and was beginning to feel a little drunk. As soon as I grabbed the third one, the doorbell rang. I opened the door to see Clark standing on my porch. He was wearing a gray V-neck T-shirt and jeans. He had shaved a little so that I could see his face better. 

"Good evening, Brooke." He smiled, and something moved inside me.

Angry at myself, I tried to close the door, but he quickly moved his hand, preventing it from closing in his face. I sighed and reopened.

"What do you want,  _ Kent _ ?" I asked, annoyed.

I saw him frown slightly when I called him by his last name.

"My mother wants me to bring you this." He waved a bag in the air.

I rolled my eyes and didn't respond.

"Here are the muffins for your sister's sale and some lotion that she has prepared for your hand." He explained.

"Did you come to my house because your mother sent you?" I narrowed my eyes.

"Yes," he answered automatically "well, no." he corrected himself. "I also came because I wanted to see you."

Boom!

My guts twisted so much that I felt slightly dizzy. 

"I brought your car too." He added when I didn't respond. 

I left the bottle on the hall cabinet, and I reached out for the bag. When I grabbed the bag, our hands brushed, and I hated myself for all the feelings that filled my heart. <<Stop it, Brooke. You have overcome.>>

"Thank Martha," I said without looking at him.

"Brooke, can we talk?" he asked cautiously. 

"Talk?" I laughed sadly.

"Yes. I want to explain some things to you."

"Explain some things to me? I don't need any explanation,  _ Kent _ ." I looked at him again.

"Don't call me that, please." He pleaded.

"Why not? It's your last name." 

"I thought I was Clark for you."

"Clark abandoned me a long time ago." 

He looked like he had just been slapped. He didn't like my reproach. 

"Brooke, just let me explain it to you."

"Explain to me what? that you were my best friend and you abandoned me here? that in seven years have you not given a call? You don't need to explain anything to me because I already know all of that." The courage that was making me speak was the result of alcohol, I was sure, but that didn't stop me from shutting up. "And what do you want? I know that you're back. I don't know how long you plan to stay, but you already broke my heart once, and I'm not going to let you do it again. So if you intend to come back here and be friends again and pretend nothing had happened, I recommend you to go away and stop wasting your time."

"I don't want that, Brooke." He replied without losing his calm.

"Don't you want me to be in your life again? So, what are you doing here, huh?" I asked furiously.

"I don't need you to come into my life again, Brooke, because you have never left. You are always with me."

I felt his words like a shot in the stomach. I took a step back and moved away from the door. I grabbed my beer and took a sip because clearly, I needed more alcohol to have this conversation. 

"Although you don't know it, you have been with me throughout my journey. You are the person for whom I had drawn strength when I wanted to quit my mission and the only one that I have thought about every night before going to sleep."

"What are you saying?" I narrowed my eyes. All of this started to seem like crazy madness.

"I don't know how long I'm going to be able to stay here." He entered my house and closed the door. "But I do know that I can't spend one more second without you."

"How many girls have you hooked up with to have the speech ready?" I asked in disgust.

"Hooked up?" He seemed not to understand my question. 

"Yes, you should have had many women warming your bed. It's crystal clear. The Clark I know would never speak like that. He would rather hide his feelings and pretend he cared about no one."

"Brooke, you know that's not true. I cared about my parents, and I cared about you. You are the only person in this town, besides my mother, who has always mattered to me. When I left, I was a kid full of unanswered questions."

"Do you think that by having a beard, you are a man?" I raised my voice more than necessary. 

"No," he replied. "I think I'm a man because now I dare to tell you the things that I didn't tell you at that time," he took a deep breath before continuing. "Because now I know who I am and because now I think that I'm worthy of you."

"Worthy of me? Do you hear yourself?" I yelled at him. "You were worthy of me before you left! To me, you were Clark Kent, the farm boy, and I didn't need anything else. But for you, it was more important to find your identity than me. You left me here alone with my head full of questions and a broken heart. I was so in love with you that I was scared to left Smallville to go to college, without knowing if you would return or not, made a world for me." when I finished, I was very nervous. 

"But you left," he seemed confused. "My mother told me when I came back looking for you." 

"When you came back? What are you talking about?" 

"I came back when you turned twenty. We hadn't seen each other for a whole year, and I missed you so badly. I couldn't imagine the idea of not seeing you on your birthday. I didn't even tell my mother that I was coming back because I wanted to surprised you, but when I arrive, she told me that you had just gone to Metropolis to go to college."

"And didn't you think to call me?" I couldn't hide the pain.

"I didn't want to spoil your dream. Sometimes, my mother talked to me about you, and I didn't want to interfere in your life."

"My dream." I nodded. "Yeah, I had to force myself go to fulfill a dream that had no longer made sense to me." I finished my beer. "You know what? It would be best if you had not kissed me back. You would have saved me a lot of pain." I said sarcastically. "You would have left, and I would have overcome it... the heartbreak. But you had to kiss me and make it harder for me. You had to give me hope that you had feelings for me, and I was a fool and stayed here trying to understand what had happened between us for almost a year."

"Brooke, you kissed me first." he smiled. "The girl who had always been with me, the one who used to defend me from the bullies. The girl who had always been out of my league and with whom I had always been in love. How did you expect me not to kiss you back?" he looked at me before continuing talking, "Of course I kissed you because I was dying to do it. That kiss stirred every fiber of my being. I've been alone for a long time, and when I felt like I couldn't take it anymore, your light always had found me."

"I don't know what you're talking about." I took a step back. This seemed like a bad joke. "It's late. Go away."

Clark didn't move.

"Please," I begged. 

"Would you let me take a look at your hand?"

"No. Please. Go away. Don't make me call the Sheriff." without giving him time to answer. I went back into the living room again. I heard the sound of the door closing, and I released all the air I had been holding. I was screwed.


	3. Brooke. It's Clark.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clark does not appear in this chapter. But he would appear in the next one and very interesting things will happen between him and Brooke.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Important: English is not my mother tongue, so if you see mistakes and want to correct me I will be very grateful. Also, I would appreciate your opinions :)

When the alarm clock woke me up, I wanted to die. My head hurts so bad that I thought it was going to explode. Memories from last night crossed my mind, even though I didn’t remember everything clearly because I was a little drunk. I remembered that Clark had come to bring me some muffins and break my world with his lies.   
  
It was incredible that I asked him to stay away, and he responded by saying that he had come back looking for me a year after he left. We could have saved a lot of pain to each other, mostly since one year was the deadline that I had given myself to wait for his return. I had left Smallville the night before my birthday. I preferred to spend the day in a whole new city rather than here because the idea that the deadline would end and Clark hadn’t returned was so painful for me.  
  
I stayed for two years in Metropolis. When my father died, I had to return to take care of my younger sister. Before coming back, I got an internship at the Daily Planet, which opened the door to work for the local newspaper. My salary wasn’t enough, even though I collaborated with the local magazine and covered the nearby towns' important events.  
My sister Jamie always told me that I could be a wedding photographer and made a lot of money, but I wouldn’t say I liked that. I like to take photos of people when they didn’t realize it. When people posed for a picture, I felt that they lost a bit of the charm that made them real.  
  
I couldn’t afford to pay the bills, food, and Jamie’s high school, so that’s why I worked part-time at the Ace of Clubs, the most popular bar in town. Most of my shifts were during the week, which used to be more relaxed. However, I had to work many weekends, mostly if there were football matches or local festivities. Those days it was exhausting because I had to work as a photographer before served to customers. It wasn’t my dream job, but I couldn’t complain about either. After all, it was the money that supported Jamie and me.   
Also, I wouldn’t be working here long. As soon as the summer was over, Jamie would go to college, and I wouldn’t have many reasons to stay in Smallville anymore. I haven’t decided yet what I was going to do, but probably I would write to the Daily Planet again.   
  
I got out of bed and went to the kitchen. The bag that Clark had given me the night before was on the counter. I hadn’t even opened it, I had just kept drinking, and then I went to bed without dinner. While I was waiting for my coffee to be made, I opened the bag; inside was a container full of chocolate muffins, the smell of the sugar-filled the entire room. My stomach roared, so I grabbed a muffin and took Advil for my headache.  
It would be a busy day. I had to bring the muffins to my sister before she left for school, then I have to work, edit a lot of pictures, and in the afternoon, I have a shift at the bar. A holiday event would be celebrated that night in town, so probably the bar would be crowded.   
I felt better after breakfast. I showered and hurriedly got ready. When I saw my car at the door, I couldn’t help my stomach twisted. Had I been fair to Clark? I convinced myself that this action didn’t replace the damage done after almost eight years of absence. I haven’t to be nice to him if I met him again.   
  
I didn’t want to be distracted. For that reason, as soon as I stepped into the office, I turned on the music, and I spent the whole morning editing the light of the pictures until my cell phone rang. I was surprised to see my sister’s name on the screen. It was strange that she called me, like all people her age, she prefers to send audios. 

  
“Jamie, what’s wrong?” I asked, alarmed.

  
“Brooke! It’s Clark.” My sister sounded very agitated.

  
“What happens?” The anxiety gripped my voice.

  
“He’s back. I think I just saw him leave Ben’s store.”

  
As soon I realized Clark was out of danger, I relaxed.

  
“I already knew.”

  
“Did you knew? Why didn’t you tell me? I could call you earlier.” Jamie was worried.

  
“Jamie,” I didn’t let her finish. “Don’t worry about me. I don’t want to talk about it. Probably he’ll be gone in a few days.”

  
“Are you sure you don’t want to talk? We could have dinner tonight.”

  
“Jamie, you have plans with Liam. I’m fine. Besides, I’m exhausted; when I’ll get home, I would go to bed.”

  
“Are you sure?”

  
“Yes, I am.”

  
“Okay. I’ll see you on Sunday then. If you need anything, please call me. Or if you want me there tomorrow, just let me know.”

  
“Tomorrow, I have a shift at the bar. I’ll see you on Sunday, little pony.”

  
“Okay.” She agreed.

  
When I hung out, I realized that if I didn’t leave yet, I wouldn’t have enough time to go to the fair to take pictures before my shift started.   
I closed the laptop and left my desk, grabbed a sandwich from the vending machine, and I waved goodbye to everyone. Fortunately, I was ahead with the newspaper photos; otherwise, I could not have completed all the work on time.

  
The afternoon ended quickly; the bar was so crowded that I didn’t have time to stop for even a second. That distracted me from thinking about Clark, and before I realize it, my shift was over. Tomorrow would be a better day. 


	4. Rage

On Saturday, I woke up so late that I went straight to the kitchen to prepare lunch. I had bought 2lbs of ground beef, so I made bolognese that would last for a couple of meals for my sister and me. I smiled when the smell of tomatoes and oregano flooded the kitchen. I love to cook, except for the bakery that wasn't my thing.

I pick up the newspaper from the porch and read it while eating. I was one of those persons who still read on paper. After lunch, I showered and got ready. I had a double shift at the bar, and I wouldn't be out until eleven, so I chose to wear comfy clothes: a top, jeans, and sneakers.

When I passed the Kent house, I couldn't help but wonder if Clark had left again. I had not heard from him since Thursday night, so probably he was also gone. I knew I was right. A little part of me was hoping to meet him again, but I figured it was better this way. I had seen him for a bit of time, and I ended drunk on a weekday. It was clear that it would be difficult to forget him again, but life isn't easy.

***

"Do you want me to serve table three?" My boss asked me.

I shook my head.

"I'm not afraid of four drunk men," I replied before leaving with the tray loaded with glasses again.

Every time I had to serve the outsider's table, I listened to their bullshit. If I receive a dollar for each unwanted compliment given to me, I will live in a mansion in Metropolis. This time one of them, probably the most idiot of all, decided to go one step further.

"Hey, pretty girl!" He said to me while laughing.

I bit my tongue not to answer him and sighed.

"Can I have your phone number?"

"No," I answered, leaving the last glass on the table.

"Come on! Don't be rude and give me your fucking number. You look like you need a good fuck."

Before I could open my mouth to send him to hell, someone stepped in.

"You look like you need a punch in the face, so if you want, we can go outside, and I would give you the education that your parents haven't given you." Clark threatened, standing next to me.

I turned to him in amazement. All of them suddenly shut their mouths, probably because Clark was much taller than them and his muscles were huge. 

I stood still for a few seconds. When I realized that there was nothing to fear and that no one would hit anyone, I returned with the empty tray to the counter. 

I tried not to freak out. I didn't like these kinds of situations, and I didn't need anyone rescuing me either. Unfortunately, I had experience dealing with it, and I knew how to defend myself. Also, the last thing that I needed right now was Clark's presence. What was he doing here?

"Are you okay?" Clark questioned me from the other side of the counter. I stop looking at the glass I was drying to looked at him. His blue eyes seemed anxious, and at that moment, I felt the need to close the distance that separates us to comfort him. That thought made me feel very dizzy.

"I'm fine, and I'm not going to thank you. I don't need anyone defending me." I said in an angry tone.

"Oh, okay. I'm sorry." He nodded.

"You don't have to apologize. I'm just telling you. Next time don't interfere."

"Will there be next time?" He frowned.

"Probably. Welcome to the girl's world."

"That's so sad."

I didn't answer him and kept drying the glasses.

"What time do you finish working?"

I stiffened like a stick.

"Why?" I demanded, looking at him.

"I would like to take you home."

"That wouldn't be necessary."

"Brooke, what if those guys are waiting for you outside?"

I observed over his shoulder and realized that all of them had their evil eyes on us.

"I just told you that I know how to defend myself," I answered bluntly.

"I know, and I believe you, but they are four of them. And the truth is that I would be calmer if you didn't go home alone. Please." He added in a pleading voice.

I was grateful I had to get out of the counter to serve another table and away from Clark and the feelings his words caused in me.

I had been with my head in the clouds for the rest of the night. I was nervous because ignoring Clark, who didn't leave his seat on the counter, was getting harder. 

"Brooke." I heard him call me, but I didn't take my eyes off the jar of strawberry mojito that I was preparing for the girls who just walked in.

The third time he called me, I looked at him, annoyed. I needed him to stop saying my name with his velvet voice. He smiled at me and seemed amused by something.

"What do you want,  _ Kent  _ ?" I asked, losing my patience.

"A beer." He said, shaking the empty bottle.

I shook my head as I opened another one for him.

I sighed deeply when I had to return to the assholes' table.

"Hey, pretty, why you don't want to go out with me?"

"Sorry, but I don't like cockroaches."

I turned to leave, and I froze when I felt one of them slap me on the ass. I turned, ready to punch him, but the guy was already groaning in pain and with Clark twisting his wrist.

"If you touch her again, I'll break your wrist, do you understand me?" Clark's voice was so fierce that get me out of my state of mental perplexity.

"Clark!" I touched his shoulder. "Release him. Come on, Clark, please." I begged.

Automatically he released him and looked at me. I grabbed his hand and walked toward the counter with him.

"Wait for me here," I said to him over my shoulder.

I went to the kitchen and told my boss what had just happened. As I thought, he sent me home to rest. Clark was waiting for me where I had left him. His fists were clenched.

I grabbed his arm without thinking much about what I was doing and pulled him outside. He, who was still out of his mind, let himself be dragged by me.

I trembled from the cold of the Kansas night, and that seemed to snap Clark out of his thoughts. 

He released me and tried to remove the lumberjack shirt he was wearing over his t-shirt, but I stopped him.

"My car is there," I said, pointing with my hand.

I got in, and Clark entered through the passenger door. I started the engine, turned on the heat, and rubbed my hands together.

"Are you okay?" Clark asked, looking me in the eye.

I nodded.

"Well...thanks. It took me a while to react, but I was going to slap that guy."

"I would have gladly broken his wrist if you had let me."

"It isn't worth it, Clark." 

His lips tightened.

"How can you say that?" He asked, altering himself again. 

"It isn't the first time that something like that happens to me. Those people only want to fight. I'm not saying that there is nothing to do but…" 

"You know?" he interrupted me. "I think I'm going back there to release the tension by hitting that bastard." He said, opening the car door.

"Clark, please." I rested my hand on his arm and tried to ignore the tingling I felt.

He closed the door again. It seemed that he could not contradict me when I asked him for a favor. 

"I want to take you to your home," I said.

"No," he shook his head. "I prefer to get off yours and walk from there. It would clear my mind. Also, I'm not going to stay calm until I see you enter your home."

During the ride home, neither of us spoke. I was still stunned by what had just happened. When I remember the stranger's hand on my ass, I've felt nervous, so I tried to calm down and focus my mind on the road.

I parked by the front porch and jumped down. I grabbed my bag from the back seat, and before I had time to close the door, I already felt Clark behind my back. 

I turned slowly to face him. Something in his gaze stirred my world. I had the feeling that I could read all the thoughts and feelings that were going through his beautiful eyes: adoration, anger, misunderstanding, frustration… and above all, that our feelings were similar. Somehow he knew how I felt right now, and I knew how he felt. For the first time since he had returned, it was as if we hadn't spent seven years apart from each other. Finally, I saw the eyes of the friend that I'd missed so much. 

"Do you want to come inside?" the question slipped from my lips before my brain could process it.

"I would love to." He looked at me with bright eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From this chapter onward Clark will be very present and his relationship with Brooke will evolve.  
> I hope you liked it. Tell me what you think, I will be very grateful.  
> I hope I'm not making many mistakes when writing in English, but if you detect mistakes and want to tell me, it will help me improve.
> 
> Thanks for reading :)


	5. The reason why I have come back

"Take a seat if you want," I said to Clark as I went upstairs to my room. I want to drop the bag and verify that my sister hadn't come home. I threw my belongings on the bed and turned to look at myself in the closet mirror. The black tank top I was wearing fits my body and the same with my jeans. I took a cardigan from the closet and wore it on. I felt more confident with less skin exposed. 

When I returned to the kitchen, I found Clark thoughtfully with his arms crossed and leaning against the wall. At another time, and in another situation, I would have taken a picture of him.

"Have you had dinner yet?" I asked him. 

He shook his head.

I opened the fridge, trying to ignore the butterflies that moved in my stomach when he laid his eyes on me. 

"Do you want a beer?"

"Yes." He agreed.

I took two bottles, opened them, and gave him one. 

"Thanks." He smiled, and I couldn't help but admire his perfectly placed teeth. 

His eyebrows drew together slightly, and I got the impression that he would say something about the incident at the bar. I didn't feel like talking about it again, so I asked him:

"Do you want pasta bolognese?"

"Don't worry about me. I don't want to bother you." He replied before sipping his beer.

"Clark," That was the boy I remembered, the one who the last thing he wanted was for you to do something for him. "I'm offering it to you. I already had the sauce ready. I would only have to cook the pasta, but if you want to leave, I'm not going to force you to stay here." The barriers around my heart rose again to protect me.

He moved away from the wall without saying anything and stood in front of me. I had to raise my head to see him. His face had a strange expression. 

"What's wrong?" I questioned cautiously.

"You called me Clark." He explained as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. 

"So?" I shrugged.

"I thought you would never do it again."

"Oh," I took a step back, uncomfortably at his closeness. "Well, I can call you  _ Kent _ again if you prefer."

"You can use my last name when you are angry." He replied, looking at me with intensity. 

"Do you take for granted that you're going to piss me off again?"

"No, what I take for granted is that I would never give you reasons to be angry."

I stepped back awkwardly and took a long sip of beer. I didn't want to hear Clark say those things. The situation was still new to me. It was true that I had invited him to dinner in a moment of weakness, but I didn't want him to get too close. I wasn't ready for that.

"Where's the pasta?" He asked. It seems that he understood how I was feeling. 

"In the second wall cabinet."

I observed his muscular back as he reached up to grab the spaghetti. There was no doubt that he was stronger than before. His lumberjack shirt fit his arms and seemed about to burst at the seams.

"Pot?" He raised his eyebrows, interrupting my study.

I blushed and pointed to the cabinet under the sink. I couldn't help but look at his ass when he bent down and hated myself for that. I opened the fridge to take out the bowl of bolognese before staring at him again. What was happening to me? I stood beside him in front of the cooktop and poured the sauce into a pan to heat it.

Clark filled the pot with water and turned the heat to high. When he moved, his body brushed against mine. I instantly pulled away from his touch and moved away from a little.

"Brooke." His voice sounded strangled.

I ignored him and kept stirring the sauce; concentrating on that simple task was the best thing I could do right now.

"Brooke" He gently grabbed my wrist, forcing me to release the wooden shovel and turned it to look at the palm of my hand. 

"The burn is almost healed." He spoke more to himself than to me.

I didn't answer. I just stared silently at our hands and tried to calm myself down. I could feel the atmosphere changing between us, and that would be very dangerous for me. I pulled my hand away from his, and then I could breathe again. I turned around, visibly uncomfortable, and poured the pasta over the boiling water. 

"Did I say something that bothered you?" Clark's voice sounded tortured again.

I shook my head. I felt his gaze on each of my movements. I added salt and olive oil into the pot, set the timer, and I turned to take two plates from the cabinet. Without saying anything, Clark brought our beers to the table. We finished preparing the food in silence. I guess we both found it too strange to be cooking together. In my kitchen. Seven years later.

While we were eating, Clark asked me about my daily life, my sister, and work. I answered all of his questions, and I feel so nervous under his gaze. It seemed that what I was telling him was the most exciting thing he had ever heard. When we finished, a sepulchral silence settled between us. I was thinking about what to say when his deep voice asked: 

"Brooke, are you dating Scott?"

His question caught me with my guard down.

"What?" I narrowed my eyes.

"My mother may have mentioned something."

"Well, we have had a couple of dates," I answered awkwardly. "but no. I wouldn't say we are dating."

"I'm glad to hear that." He smiled widely.

"Why?"

"Because I'd like to invite you to dinner someday."

Ten words. Ten words that once again turned my world upside down.

"I don't have dinner with anybody," I said, standing up. 

"You just had dinner with me." Clark also got up.

"You know what I mean." I picked up the plates and turned around.

"No. I don't understand the difference between having dinner here or at a nice restaurant."

"Dining in a restaurant means a lot of different things."

"For me, having dinner here tonight had meant a lot of different things."

I didn't answer him. I struggled to fight the urge to run away because deep down, I knew it was nothing more than a low self-defense mechanism.

"Is it because I'm not Scott?"

"What are you saying?" I spoke louder than usual.

"I mean, you can go to dinner with him but not with me because I'm the loser of Smallville."

I couldn't believe he was saying that; after all, we had suffered together. It was true that Scott had belonged to the popular group in high school, but that had never mattered to me. 

I didn't tell him everything I thought because that would only lengthen the conversation, so I just said:

"Clark, I'm tired. You should leave."

Instead of answering, he approached me. I observed how he grabbed something from his shirt pocket and pulled out a black notebook.

"This is for you." He informed, extending his hand in my direction.

"What's that?" I asked defensively.

"The reason why I've returned to Smallville." He said honestly. "Here is everything explained."

I took it with my hands shaking. The notebook was quite old, and the corners were damaged. I gently touched the front cover. It looked like Clark had some special bond with this object. 

"I have six more," his voice broke the silence. "I'd like you to read them all and then come to find me and tell me what do you think."

I swallowed hard.

"Brooke, I completely understand that after seven years, the last thing you want is to hear me saying that I'm sorry, but I'm sorry. I'm sorry for all the pain that I could have caused us. Everything is explained in the notebook. If you don't want to forgive me or to see me again, I'll understand. I mean, I'll try to understand it and respect your decision but if you don't do it for me, do it for him," he pointed to the notebook. "Please, do it for the boy who had to leave the love of his life to fulfill a mission that was bigger than himself. Please do it for that Clark, who was your best friend because I'm sure you still remember him with a smile. Because it's impossible that I feel this way, and you don't feel the same."

"The Clark you're talking about abandoned me a long time ago."

"But he has never stopped loving you, Brooke. And that Clark and I are the same person. I'm still that Clark, Brooke."

I looked away violently. Was Clark saying he loved me? Impossible. It had been a long time. 

"I'm not going to pressure you, and I'll be willing to accept what you want. If you want us to be friends, we will be. If you want me not to speak to you again, I'll try my best to do it, and if you need time, I'll wait. I mean, I've been away from you for seven years, I can do it. And if after you read the notebook you want us to be together..."

I stepped back, and Clark shut up immediately. Be together? As a couple?

"Just read it, please." He pleaded.

For a moment, I saw the boy who was my friend in the eyes of the man he had become.

I nodded. 

"Good night, Brooke."

"Night."

Clark turned and walked out of the kitchen. I opened the book and started to read the first page dated seven years ago. I closed the notebook and knew, like seven years ago, that I was about to do something crazy. Something crazy like going after him. 

"Clark," I raised my voice. "Clark!" I took a step toward the door, which burst open.

Clark looked at me, cautiously from the threshold.

"If you want me to read it so bad," I took a deep breath. "Then read it to me." I ended handing him the book.

He considered his options. It looks like he was not enthusiastic about the idea, but still, he reached out to take it. Then he finished entering the kitchen and stood in front of me. 

"I wasn't counting on reading it, but if that's what you need from me right now..." he didn't finish. "If it's too overwhelming, or you want me to stop... just let me know."

I nodded.

Clark swallowed hard and looked at me one last time before reading the words he had written a long time ago.

<< August 16

Brooke, I don't know where to start writing everything I feel. It is my first night away from Smallville. I am only a hundred miles from you, but it seems that I am so far away that it is as if I lived on another planet. I have been trying to sleep for the last two hours, but I can't because I felt your lips on mine every time I close my eyes.

I can't stop thinking about the two words that I almost heard you say. I've never been the most clever boy in class, but I also don't have to be the smartest to know what you were about to say. And still, I have the doubt. Were you going to say I love you? and even if you were to say it, do I love you mean the same to you as to me? Because after last night's kiss, I don't think I can be only your friend. I know that I'm your best friend and that you're mine too, but I have been in love with you for so long that I had already got used to the idea of living without you, to love you from far away. 

I was happy just picking you up every morning to go to school and having you by my side, but your kiss had changed everything for me. Until yesterday I was sure about this, and now I am not. I always thought that you never could feel for me the same way as I feel for you because… how can you love a boy without identity? How can you love someone who doesn't know who he is? It is impossible. 

It has taken me a couple of years to understand that for me, this had gone to the next level. I did not want to see it because I am scared of losing you. In case you are wondering, I finished opening my eyes last July 4. Do you remember that day? We went to the lake to celebrate it. While everyone was in the town enjoying the fireworks, you and I were jumping on the lake. The instant I saw the fireworks reflected in your eyes, I knew it. I knew that I have been fooling myself for too long that I did not love you as a friend. I had loved you intensely. I knew that I want to spend the rest of my life with you. And that scared me to death.

You were so beautiful, with the wet hair pressed to your face and laughing like crazy as you splashed me.

I decided at that moment. After your birthday, I would leave town and find my identity. And I wouldn't come back until I could be honest with you. I do not know if you understand it or understand one day, but I need to be worthy of you before I declare my feelings. I need to know that I have a real chance with you. I want to be someone to you, and I do not wish my ghosts and doubts chase us.

I keep wondering how it would look to see you smile after a kiss, your happy smile, because yesterday you did not smile, Brooke, and I can't stop thinking about it. 

I love you.

Clark.>>

While Clark was reading, I had been approaching him without realizing it. I wasn't capable of deciding how I felt at the time. Clark closed the notebook and looked up slowly. He opened his mouth to say something, but he couldn't have found the words because he closed it again. I didn't know how he felt, but I was trapped by the atmosphere of intensity that surrounded us.

"Do you want me to kept reading?" He whispered.

I shook my head, and his eyes turned sad. I moved a little closer, and my chest goes up and down heavily. My heart was beating so hard it was going to explode. I gently touched his face. Clark closed his eyes and sighed, and then, I stood on tiptoe and kissed him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, Clark has stepped forward declaring his feelings to Brooke and she has kissed him. What do you think? I hope you liked it.  
> Do you want to read what happens next?
> 
> I hope I'm not making many mistakes when writing in English, but if you detect mistakes and want to tell me, it will help me improve.
> 
> Thanks for reading and happy July 4th :)
> 
> P.S: I imagine Scott with the face of Alex Pettyfer.


	6. Breakfast with daisies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning: chapter with sexual references. The first love / sex scene between Brooke and Clark. They are not very descriptive scenes.

I felt something bigger than myself, so before I could realize it, my lips were on his. I cupped Clark's face because part of me was afraid that he wasn't really there. Still, it was impossible because my imagination has never been so intense.   
Just like the first time I kissed him nine years ago, Clark didn't move. He just let me kissed him. I stepped back, took the book from his hand, and left it on the table. I came near him slowly, allowing him to go away. When his body was a few inches apart from mine, I raised my head and waited. Clark approached me, and our lips met halfway in a kiss that started soft but soon became frantic.

  
I didn't know how long we had been kissing, but I did know that I had only pulled away from him to say one word:  
"Bedroom." Before I realize it and in a move that was quite graceful to someone of his size, Clark had already lifted me bridal-style and gone upstairs without stop kissing me. 

  
When his legs hit my bed, he gently placed me on my feet. He observed me for a moment that seemed too long for me. Clark swallowed hard. He looked like he was going to give me a lecture about morality and decency. Before his doubts flooded me too, I stepped forward, tiptoed, and kissed him again. It took him a few seconds to react, but when he buried his hand into my hair, I knew he was with me too. My heart was beating so hard that I was sure Clark could hear it. I pushed his chest slightly, and he fell onto my bed.  
I got on top of him, and when he rested his hands on my hips, I couldn't resist the urge to bite his lip. We lay back and got rid of the extra clothes. And there, between moans, kisses, and sweat, Clark and I recovered seven years of lost love.

  
***

  
The sun's rays woke me up. I turned away from the light to continue sleeping, but memories from last night came to mind. Clark and I had made love twice, and then he had carried me into the tub. We had showered together, and we talked for a long time before falling asleep. We didn't talk about anything painful, like we had spent nine years apart, or about our feelings either. Deep down, I knew that both of us were too comfortable to spoil the night. 

  
The night had ended well. Should I be worried about Clark's wasn't lying next to me? I looked at the time on my phone and was surprised to see that it was 11.30 in the morning. I never managed to sleep that much. 

  
I got up slowly. I felt something soft and not the rough carpet under my feet. Clark's red lumberjack shirt was on the floor. I was too sleepy to look for other clothes, so I decided to wear it. As I suspected, it fit me as it were a dress, a short dress but a dress after all. I buttoned it up, and Clark's smell penetrated my nose. I grabbed the fabric between my fingers and breathed in its scent. I didn't even wear my underwear when I left my room. 

  
The bathroom was empty. I tried to hear something, but the silence was sepulchral. The moment I realized I was alone, an uncomfortable feeling settled in my stomach. Probably Clark hurried out, and he had forgotten his shirt. I went downstairs angry at myself, and as I was three steps from the ground floor, the front door opened. I froze when Clark entered, holding a massive bag in his arms. His smile widened when he saw me. As he left the load on the cabinet, neither of us said a word.   
  
"Good Morning, Brooke," he was the first to speak. "Did you sleep well?"

  
I was too sleepy even to talk, so I raised an eyebrow. Clark knew that I slept so profoundly that I hadn't even heard him leave. 

  
He looked down at my body, and by the way, his eyes grew wider in surprise; I knew that he just realized that I was wearing his shirt. He opened and closed his mouth a couple of times but didn't say anything, and then, he shook his head. 

  
"I went to buy some groceries," he explained while looking for something inside the bag. "I wanted to prepare you breakfast before you woke up. Also, I brought you this." he took a bouquet of daisies from the bag and handed it to me.

  
When I held it between my fingers, I realize it was so rustic that the flowers were tied up with a tiny piece of burlap like the one in his family barn. "Clark, did you take the flowers for me?"

  
He looked at me and shrugged. "Yes, I may have taken them from the backyard. Don't you like them?" he asked.

  
"Why did you do all of this?"

  
"What do you mean?"

  
"You brought me flowers, and you were thinking of prepared me breakfast."

  
"Brooke, are you mad?"

  
I shook my head. How could I be angry? Clark's gesture was so romantic.

  
"Last night was very special to me, and I wanted the morning after to be special for you as well. So, I thought that maybe flowers and breakfast would make you smile, but if I'd gone too far or you want me to leave..."

  
I didn't let him finish. I closed the space between us and kissed him. I was very moved that he had thought of all this. Clark pulled away from my mouth enough to speak, and I huffed in annoyance.

  
"Are you still having PB&J for breakfast?" He asked me with a smile.

  
I made an affirmative sound and tried to kiss him again. He grabbed my hips and pulled me away.

  
"I would like to prepare your breakfast."

  
"Breakfast can wait a little longer," I murmured against his mouth.

  
We kissed again with passion. Clark lifted me, and I wrapped my legs around his waist. He walked until my back gently hit the wall. I dropped the bouquet that landed on the floor behind Clark. I placed my hand on his lower belly and stroked over his jeans. Clark moaned, and I repeat the movement.

  
"Do you want to go to bed?" He asked between kisses.

  
"I want to do it here."

  
I didn't even know how I managed to unbutton his jeans because my hands were shaking. When I did it, I looked at him, and his expression of desire paralyze me. My chest rose and fell at full speed, and I realized his too. 

  
"You're so beautiful with my shirt." was the only thing he said before kissing me again as his life depends on it like. He looked at me, asking with his eyes for permission, and I bit my lip in anticipation. When he entered me, I had to rest my head against the wall. Clark buried his face in my neck, and I just let him made love to me. I felt his hands all over my body while mine just rested on his shoulders. Clark was very passionate, and I felt like I was on fire. I had the feeling that I was about to lose my mind. 

  
"Har...der." I managed to say between gasps.

  
"I don't want to hurt you." He whispered in my ear.

  
"Clark!" I protested.

  
My tone had to encourage him because he decided to please me, although he remained too delicate. A few minutes later, he made me explode from pleasure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Clark and Brooke have made a little progress in their relationship. It is my first scene with sexual references, I hope you liked it. I am trying to be "loyal" to the canon as possible.
> 
> My idea is to continue with the plot of the movies, but first there are a couple more chapters of Brooke and Clark ahead. What do you think? I hope you liked it.
> 
> I hope I'm not making many mistakes when writing in English, but if you detect mistakes and want to tell me, it will help me improve.
> 
> Thanks for reading.


	7. New Normal

Clark put me gently on my feet. I was grateful that he grabbed my arm when my legs shook. I leaned against the wall and looked at him. I couldn't help but bite my lip with desire when he buttoned his pants. He chuckled when he saw my face. I grabbed his belt loop and pulled him toward me, and he kissed me softly, then nuzzled my neck. We hug for a few minutes while our breathing relaxed. 

My stomach rumbled because I was hungry, destroying the magic of the moment. Clark laughed again, this time louder, and I felt something twisting my guts. It was the first time I had heard him laugh out loud since he had returned, and it was a beautiful sound. 

"Let's have breakfast." He murmured, turning away from me.

As I entered the kitchen, I'd realized that it was 12.30 pm. 

"Clark, it's noon."

He observed me without understanding. 

"It's time for lunch, not breakfast," I explained.

"Well, we could do both."

"Are you saying you're going to prepare me Martha Kent's famous ranch eggs?" I jumped with excitement.

"If that's what you want, then yes."

"You don't need to ask,  _ Kent _ ."

He shook his head, but before he turned around, I saw a hint of a smile. 

"Do you need help?" I asked as I was watching him take everything out of the bag. 

"No, I don't. Thanks. You could sit or do whatever you want."

I sat next to the table and checked my phone. I had a message from my sister asking me how I was doing. What should I answer? I thought about it and decided the best would be to hide what had happened with Clark, at least for now. Otherwise, my sister will ask me a thousand questions, and I was sure that I even had a logical answer for most of them. Clark's situation was still too new, and I didn't know how long it would last, what was going to happen or what to expect. I texted her back, confirming that I was okay and asking her what time she'll be returning home, mostly to make sure Clark was gone by then. Although I was assuming that Clark would stay the rest of the day, I didn't know if that was what he wanted. I put the phone down on the table and let out a long breath.

"What's going on?" Clark questioned.

I was surprised that he would have heard me sigh because there was a lot of noise from the stovetop and the kitchen fan. I looked up to find his worried face. He had rolled up his sleeves and was wearing my flower apron. He looked so cute. 

"Nothing." I shook my head as I got up. "Hey, where did you get that shirt?" I stopped as I had realized that Clark's clothes were different from yesterday.

"I had to go home."

I frowned.

"We live in a small town, remember? What would people say if they saw me in the same clothes as last night?"

I nodded. 

"Also, my shirt suits you better than me." He looked me up and down, and my body trembled. 

"Oh, yeah?" I raised my arms, stretching, and aware that the fabric had risen, revealing more skin.

"Brooke..." he turned around and continued cooking.

"What?"

"Don't distract me. I don't want to ruin the food."

"I don't care," I said, hugging him from behind. I had quickly gotten used to this new reality, in which Clark made me breakfast after spending the night together.

"I do care. It's the first time I make you breakfast, and I want everything to be perfect." He put the shovel in the pan and squeezed my hand softly.

"Okay." I pulled away from him and sat down again.

I picked up the phone and saw my sister's response. She would be back for dinner. My heart stirred at the idea of spending another day with the new Clark. I wanted to continue discovering which parts of his personality remained the same and which ones had changed. The differences in his body were so evident that seeing him naked had only confirmed my suspicions. He was stronger, taller, and more prominent. Like yesterday, it seemed incredible to me that his shirt didn't burst at the seams. 

"Do you see anything you like?" Clark asked, leaving the ranch eggs in front of me.

I couldn't help but laugh; definitely, I liked this new trait of Clark's personality.

"Maybe I do," I said. "I'll tell you as soon as I tasted it."

The breakfast looked amazing. It had been a while since I had tasted Kent's ranch eggs, seven years to be exact. Martha had wanted to prepare it for me a couple of times, but I'd always rejected her offer. Sunday brunch was a tradition I'd shared with Clark; doing it without him would ruin the memory. 

Clark seemed to be waiting for my verdict.

"They're delicious," I said to him.

"Better than my mother's?"

"No, but they're quite similar. Congrats!"

"Will you give me five stars on Yelp?" He joked.

"Well, I'm giving you four stars. You'll have to earn the fifth." I winked at him.

"No problem. We still have dessert." He bragged.

I shook my head. The new Clark was undoubtedly overconfident.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was short and a transition between the beginning of their relationship and what we can expect from the future between them.  
> I hope you liked it. 
> 
> I'm making an effort to translate this story into English, if you find any mistakes, please feel free to tell me. It helps me a lot. Thank you for reading.
> 
> Have a nice day.


	8. I need you to know the truth

"Clark?"

He made a sound to let me know he was listening. 

"How long are you going to stay?" I asked cautiously. 

"That depends on you."

I stopped my hand, which until then had been caressing his bare chest. I leaned on the mattress with my left elbow and looked at him from above. 

"My sister doesn't return for a while." I smiled at him.

"Oh, that."

I frowned and observed him without understanding.

"I'd thought you were referring to Smallville, not to your room."

I looked away awkwardly. I didn't want to talk about it yet, but it was clear that if Clark was saying that, it's because sooner or later, he'll leave. 

"Brooke." His fingers gently turned my chin.

"I don't want to talk about it, Clark." I got up and left the bed. His shirt was lying on the floor, but I didn't want to wear it again, so I opened my closet and took out clean clothes.

"What are you doing?" He stood up too.

"I'm going to take a shower. Alone." I forced myself to stop looking at his perfect body.

I entered the bathroom and closed the door without giving him time to answer. I turned on the hot water and got into the tub. I had been very irresponsible. It wasn't right that I imposed limits that couldn't be crossed to guarantee my mental health and that it was precisely me who broke them. I had asked Clark to stay away from me, and I had slept with him a couple of days later.

Did it make any sense?

No. 

It didn't.

It had been difficult for me to forget him when we had just kissed... I didn't want to imagine the pain that would mean my heart after sharing with him more than kisses. I took my time in the bathroom. I need to erase Clark's smell from my body. 

I wore the clothes that I had taken without looking from the closet and realized that I had picked a short floral dress.  _ <<Great choice, Brooke.>> _ I wanted to wore my pajamas and go to bed, not a dress to face Clark. I towel-dried my hair and took a deep breath before I went out. Would he have left?

I found him sitting on the bed, fully dressed and looking worried. He stood up as he saw me. 

"You look beautiful." He looked for my eyes, but I avoided his.

"Thank you."

"Do you want to do something with me?" I could felt the tension in his voice when he asked.

"I don't think that's a good idea," I answered him.

"Why?"

"Because I don't want to end like this morning. You came, made me breakfast, we slept together, and then I spent hours in bed with you. That's not right."

"Why not?"

"Because you're going to leave again, and you'll break my heart, and I've been too stupid to let you do it. Again."

"And what about my heart?"

I didn't answer him.

"Because if you kick me out, you'll break mine too. I can't leave and continue with my life as nothing had happened between us."

"Clark..." I said, but he ignored me.

He sped past me, and I heard him go downstairs. Maybe it would better this way. Perhaps it's better to stop it before it was too late.

_ << It's too late>>,  _ my conscience reminded me. 

Before I could think what to do next, I heard his footsteps again. He walked into my room, holding his notebook. His eyes seemed sad.

"I'm not leaving like this. I didn't want things to happen this way. I didn't want to come here and sleep with you, and I haven't made you breakfast to get anything in return. I wanted to be honest with you from the beginning. I wanted to tell you where I've been, why I'd have to leave, and who I really am. And after you knew all of that, I wanted you to decide if you want me or not in your life. I need you to know the truth because I hope you can understand why I had to leave, and maybe you can forgive me."

Before I could process all he was saying, he started to read another page from the book he was holding in his hands. 

_ <<Two months ago today, I left Smallville. I have not had the time or the strength to write to you again, but I think I will try to do it every month. When I am writing, I feel you closer. _

_ I am living in Metropolis's suburbs. I don't think I'll stay much longer here; it reminds me of you. Since we met, you have always told me that you wanted to live here, how wonderful you think this city is... and the truth is that I see you in every corner or cafe. Still, when I look again, I realize that it is not you. Most of the girls who I think are you don't even look like you. The other day I saw a billboard announcing that they are looking for people to work on an offshore oil platform. I think I am going to volunteer. Or maybe next year, I didn't decide yet. I want to fulfill my mission as soon as possible and return home. I still have not dared to call my mother yet; I'm afraid she'll tell me about you.  _

_ Every night before sleep, I look at the stars from my window. It comforts me to think that we are under the same sky despite the distance that separates us. I like to think that somehow connects us because you are the light in my darkness. It also makes me think that universe is infinite, and I keep wondering which of those stars I come from. _

_ I need to do this for myself, find my identity, and find out why I'm here and for you. I need you to know me, Brooke, because I keep thinking that if you knew the real me, maybe you would be scared, and perhaps you wouldn't have kissed me. Perhaps you will find me so disgusting that you never wanted to be my friend again. I wish I could have been honest with you from the beginning, but I had to keep a low profile, and besides that, I promised my father. He has always believed that the world wasn't prepared to know who I really am, but I'm not entirely sure about that.  _

_ I want to tell you something about me that you don't know yet, and maybe you'll understand me a little better. I am adopted. Jonathan and Martha are not my biological parents. I have never met my birth parents, and I doubt that I will ever meet them someday. I wouldn't mind if it weren't because I came from a faraway land and I am not a normal boy.  _

_ I am used to being called a freak. In fact, I have always thought that it hurt more to you than to me. For me, it was enough to have you by my side, but it made you so angry, and you faced others to defend me, and I have had the feeling that I was separating you from your real life.  _

_ Do you remember that school trip where Pete said that I had pulled the bus out of the water? I am sure you remember. Well, it is true. I took the bus out of the water using my hands. Perhaps while you are reading this, you think that I have lost my mind, but be patient. I will prove it to you. _

_ That day Pete and his mother came to my house to speak to my parents. My dad forced me to stay outside on the swing, but I heard it all. Pete's mother was convinced that it had been an act of God, and my parents tried to dissuade them by all means. I couldn't keep listening. I knew I was different, I have always known, and I had never understood why... and what that lady was saying was breaking me. Had God given me a gift? Did that explain why I could do things that the rest can't? _

_ My father found me sitting on the pick-up. He reminded me that I had to keep that part of me a secret, which was incredible. Was I supposed to have let everyone die then? Had I let you die too, Brooke? Because the first thing I did before opening the door of that bus was looking for you.  _

_ Everything changed for me speaking with my father. I still remember his words: "When the world finds out what you can do, it's gonna change everything." That day, seeing Pete's mother so scared by something that was supposed to be good, I was so confused. I couldn't understand it. I even asked my father if God had done this to me. My parents have always seen what I can do as a gift, but I have seen it as a punishment, which made me different, which didn't allow me to fit in this world. Think about it. I have never fit in with anyone except you. My parents have believed that I was special, but the world wasn't prepared to understand it the way they did. I wonder what you think about all of this. Will you still look at me the same way? Will you always be my friend? Would you have defended me if you had known? _

_ Brooke, I can do things that a normal human being cannot. For years, I have seen myself as the freak that all the school noticed that day, but I am changing my mind. I want to use my gift to do good things for the world.>> _

At that moment, Clark abruptly stopped talking and looked at me. 

"Do you want me to continue reading, or is it too much to handle?"

It took me a few seconds to recover my voice. 

"Explain to me what you mean by gift, Clark, because I'm trying to understand it, but I don't think I have enough imagination."

Clark nodded. He put the book down on the bed and approached me. Before I could realize what was happening, I felt his arms under my legs, and he lifted me off the ground.

"If it's too much for you, please, let me know." He whispered close to my face.

I nodded without understanding what was going on. 

I don't know how but the next second, we were in my living room and not in my bedroom anymore. I had the same feeling as when I got off the roller coaster in Metropolis amusement park.

"What happened?" I asked, trying to figure out reality. Was I dreaming?

"I'm fast." That was all he said.

He went out to the backyard with me still in his arms. He gently put me on the ground and walked towards my car.

"What are you doing?" I questioned in a low voice.

He didn't answer me. 

I observed him as he looked to one side and then to the other before lifting my car in the air with only one hand.

"Clark, what-?" I didn't finish the question because the words got stuck in my throat.

Without looking at me, he approached the cut trunk of a tree, held it in his hands, pulled slightly, and it broke into a thousand pieces without seeming to be effortless.

I felt dizzy, so I sat down on the stairs. Nothing my eyes were seeing made sense, and even though a part of my heart believed Clark blindly, and the other part felt that I have always known. It was the logical explanation of all the strange things that I had seen while we grew up.

"Your sister." He said, looking at me suddenly.

"What happens with her?"

"She's going up the front porch stairs."

I jumped to my feet.

"Clark, you have to go," I commented nervously.

He nodded before disappearing in the middle of the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this has been a longer chapter. Clark has finally told Brooke who he really is. I've tried to stay loyal to the canon to the man of steel movie as possible. I like the scene when Clark and his father talk, I hope I have conveyed well the importance of that moment and Clark's doubts. 
> 
> And I hope you liked it.
> 
> If you detect typing errors please tell me, it helps me improve.
> 
> I am also very grateful to know your opinion and your reviews.
> 
> Thank you very much for reading me.


	9. Tell me everything

I stared at the point where Clark had disappeared, totally dazed. I had the feeling like I was going to pass out, vomit, or maybe both. 

What had I just witness?

Clark had lifted my car with just one hand?

Was it a joke?

Was I dreaming?

Was it real?

My legs trembled like jelly, and I had to hold on to the railing to keep from falling.

How?

How was it possible?

I heard my sister call me from somewhere far away, but I hadn't enough control over my own body to be able to answer her.

"Brooke?" my sister waved her hand in front of me and pulled me out of the trance I was in. "Brooke?" she hit me gently on the shoulder.

I rearranged my face as best I could and gave her a brief smile.

"What's going on? It looks like you just saw a ghost." Jamie said.

_ I wish it had been a ghost _ , I thought. I bent down slowly and sat on the stairs.

"Brooke, you're very pale. Are you okay?" my sister commented, worried.

"Yes," I answered without taking my eyes off the car.

"Brooke, are you going to throw up?" She asked as she sat next to me. 

"I'm fine." I focused my gaze on Jamie again. "And you? How…was your weekend?"

Jamie narrowed her eyes. My answer didn't convince her. 

"Brooke, don't try to divert attention to me. What's wrong? You are pretty weird tonight."

"Nothing. I'm just tired."

She rolled her eyes.

"Is this... about Clark?" She asked suddenly.

"What? No!" I replied nervously. "Why are you saying that?"

"Well, I'm sure that his return will have affected you."

"I don't want to talk about that."

"But you have to talk about it, and I haven't seen you during the weekend."

I shrugged my shoulders.

"Have you seen him?"

I nodded, and my sister grabbed my arm in an affectionate gesture.

"He appeared while I was baking your muffins at his house," I explained in a low voice. 

"No shit, Brooke! I'm sorry." She hugged me. "I feel terrible. I should have been the one who baked with Martha instead of you," she squeezed me hard. "If I didn't like his mother so much, I would go myself to break his legs because he broke your heart."

"Jamie, don't say those things."

"Did you feel something when you saw him?" she asked as she pulled away. 

I sighed and shrugged again.

"Fuck!" Jamie cursed. "I understand you. I had the hope that when you were reunited, he would be fat and bald, but as you know, I saw him last Friday and Brooke... I'm sorry, and I suppose it's the last thing you want to hear now, but... he's hot."

I laughed. It was delusional to hear my sister say that the person I just slept with was hot. Jamie has 18 years old, the same age I was when Clark left.

"What did he say to you?" Jamie asked.

"Not much, why?"

"I don't know, Brooke. It seems that you're still in shock."

I looked away.

"By the way, what are you doing at home in a dress? Were you going out?"

I shook my head. It was expected that my sister was surprised. I never was at home wearing another thing than my pajamas.

"You need to call Scott," she suggested. "Have you seen him this weekend?"

"No."

"Well, you should; that's how you'll forget about  _ Kent _ . You know, fucking Scott would be a good way not to think about him."

"Jamie!" I reproached her. "I don't need to fuck with anyone, and I'm not thinking about Clark." I lied. "The last thing I need right now it's to call Scott. I'd prefer to spend some time with you and hear about your weekend." At least, that was true.

"Okay, for today, I'll let it go, but if tomorrow you'll find still the same in the same mood, I'll be the one who invites Scott to dinner at home. And don't worry, I'll leave before he arrives so you can fuck him whenever you want." Jamie laughed, but when she saw that I wasn't laughing, her smile slowly faded away. "I mean it, Brooke, I know you were in love with Clark, and I know how hard it was for you to forget him, and I can imagine the shock it must have been to see him again. And just now that you've started something with Scott, but..."

"I'm not dating Scott," I interrupted her. "We've only gone to dinner a few times. That's it."

"Well, whatever, you understand me. We live in a small town. Everyone thinks you two are a couple."

I looked at her in disbelief. Was I really the gossip of the town for having dinner with a former classmate? It seemed incredible to me and confirmed my theory that I couldn't have dinner with Clark too. What would people say then? I had to remind myself that after a few more months, I'll get out of here. I just have to wait until Jamie left for college.

"Also, Scott is hot too." my sister said, taking me out of my thoughts. "And he has been trying for a long time to go on a date with you. I'm glad you gave him a chance and that you gave it to yourself too. You deserve to be happy."

I didn't say anything. It was true that I had gone to dinner with Scott twice, and both I had a good time. Still, it was true that when he had kissed me, I hadn't feel remotely similar to how I'd felt with Clark and that since he'd returned, I didn't think about Scott. I felt terrible when I remembered that I hadn't even responded to the message he sent me on Friday. 

"Let's have dinner and catch up,  _ sis _ ." Jamie stood up, and I followed her. 

"I've made bolognese," I informed her when we reached the kitchen.

"Great. Well, you could sit on the couch and watch tv. You're still pale. I'm going to change my clothes, and then I'll prepare the table, okay? After you eat something, you'll feel better." She said. 

I agreed because I needed a few minutes for myself. When I sat down on the couch, the images of what I'd just witnessed came to my mind. It was too shocking for my brain to understand, yet it was strangely familiar to me. Was this the real Clark Kent? I hid my head in my hands as I understood all the suffering he could have saved himself if he had risen from the ground every time he had been bullied because there were many times.

"Brooke!" My sister screamed in alarm.

Frightened, I jumped up and ran to the stairs. "Jamie, are you okay?" I raised my voice.

"Can you explain to me who the hell this belongs to?" Jamie waved Clark's shirt in the air from upstairs. 

"Er... I bought it the other day." I answered quickly. 

She raised her eyebrows and gave me an I-don't-believe-you look.

"And why is it five sizes larger than yours?" She asked as she observed the label.

"I like wide clothes. You know that."

Jamie trotted downstairs. "Brooke, I don't know who you're trying to fool. This shirt belongs to a guy, and it looks a lot like those who C..."

"Okay, it belongs to Scott." I lied quickly. If Jamie found out that I had slept with Clark, the questioning would go on for hours, and I wasn't in the mood. I want to have a nice dinner with my sister and then go to bed.

"Have you been fucking Scott the whole weekend?" Jamie asked with a big smile.

"Why do you say that?" I shouted at her.

"Well, there are a lot of dirty plates on the sink. Also, your panties were on the floor next to this." Jamie flattened the shirt against my face. 

"Can we speak about something else?" I said, taking Clark's shirt from her hands.

"Actually, this topic interests me so much." She replied as she walked to the kitchen. "In the last four days, exciting things have happened in your life,  _ sweetie _ . Your love interest from high school has returned, and your reaction has been to lock yourself up at home to fuck Scott, with whom, according to you, you're not dating. Your life's like a soap opera," she spoke as she flitted around the kitchen, heating the food, and setting the table. "Understand me, I don't think is wrong; you're an independent and adult woman. I just want to know if you did that because you wanted or to avoid thinking about the damn  _ Kent _ ."

My sister wasn't going to let the thing go. I sat at the table and massaged my temples, trying to think about what to say to her. Should I tell her the truth? Or was it better for my mental health to lie? Because it was clear from the way, she spoke of Clark that she didn't like him. And on the contrary, she totally approved Scott. Lie. Lying would be best for now, until I found out all of Clark's secrets and what would happen between us. After that, when everything was clear, I could be honest with Jamie.

"Here, drink and tell me everything." Jamie placed a beer in front of me.

I accepted it willingly and took a huge drink. In the last days, I had drunk more than in the whole past month. 

"What do you want to know?" I sighed, giving up.

"Okay. First and foremost, does Scott fuck good?"

"Damn it, Jamie!" I blushed and couldn't help but contract my legs as I remember how had been my encounters with Clark. 

"Oh my god, that good?" My sister comment, surprised. "I mean, look how red you have turned when you remember it."

The sound of the microwave made her stop her interrogation. She took out the bowl, then proceeded to serve the food. When she left the dishes on the table, I realized that mine was much more loaded with food than hers. 

"Why do I have to eat more than you?" I frowned. One of the things about having a mother complex and raising Jamie was that I have always put more food on her plate.

"Well, you spent the whole weekend fucking. You need to recharge the energy." She winked an eye.

"Can we please, please, talk about something else?" I realized how I was blushing again. "And please, stop talking like that if you don't want to be grounded. Dad didn't educate us, so to be so rude."

"Of course, let's talk about something that interests me more." She commented, smiling.

I nodded gratefully.

" _ Kent _ . Tell me everything."

I chewed slowly. "There's nothing to tell," I answered.

"I don't think so. You've seen Kent after... how many years exactly?"

"Almost ten."

"Ten," she repeated. "How was the reunion? Did he say something to you?"

I decided that I could tell her the truth in that part. It would be easier than to think a lie.

"We didn't talk much. I burned my hand. Clark put ice on the burn. His mother arrived, and I left. End of the story."

"What? Were you alone with him? Did you burn your hand, and did he heal you?"

I nodded.

"Shit Brooke, now I understand it." She said with her mouth full of food.

"What?"

"That you needed to vent with Scott."

I didn't answer her and kept eating.

"What are you going to do?"

I looked at her without understanding what she was asking.

"I mean, Clark and you… are you going to be friends again or something? Because I think his return has affected you more than you want to admit."

I took a sip of the beer before answering a sincere: "I don't know."

My sister squeezed my hand. "We're together, Brooke."

"I know." I squeeze her hand back.

"If you want to see him, go ahead. If you don't want to, you don't have to. And if he bothers you, I'll be happy to grab Dad's old rifle and visit him.

"Jamie!" I protested, shocked. "Don't say those things."

My sister stuck her tongue out at me and kept eating. I got goosebumps when I imagined what would happen if my sister pointed the rifle at Clark. I realized that he would probably catch up to her in the blink of an eye, snatch the gun from her, and split it in two before she managed to put the finger on the trigger.

"How was your weekend?" I diverted the attention to her. 

"Not as funny as yours," she laughed, before proceeding to tell me everything she had done. At some point in the conversation, I disconnected and couldn't stop my mind from traveling to Clark. I visualized him sitting where my sister was now. My legs contracted when I remembered how we had done it against the wall that morning, and now I understood why when I had asked him to do it harder, his response had been:  _ I don't want to hurt you.  _ If Clark could lift a car with one hand, what could he not do with me?

When we finished dinner, and I assured Jamie five times that I was fine, I went to sleep. I brushed my teeth and put on my pajamas. When I entered my room, the smell of what Clark and I had done penetrated my nose. I opened the windows to air out the room. I tossed Clark's shirt onto my pillow and reminded myself that I would have to return it to him at some point. When I sat down on the mattress, something stuck in my ass. I shifted uncomfortably and realized it was Clark's notebook. I held it against my chest for a second before opening it and beginning to read his story.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello,
> 
> What do you think about this chapter? I know Clark doesn't come out, but I needed to introduce the character of Brooke's sister. In the next chapter we will have more revelations from Clark to Brooke.
> 
> I'm going to extend Clark's part in Smallville a bit before Zod's arrival, but there's not much left for that, and to follow the events of the movies. But first I want Brooke to know the whole truth about him.
> 
> What do you think? I really appreciate your reviews. Also if you want to correct writing errors, I will be very grateful.
> 
> I hope you have a nice weekend.


	10. Barn's confessions

When I closed Clark's notebook, I felt a million different things. My head was a mess of thoughts, and I had so many questions to ask him. The need that I had to speak with him made me not wait for the next day; besides, I had always been the impulsive one of the two of us. I was unsure what I would say when I saw him, how I would feel, or what he would think about me, but I didn't think about all that before leaving my home. As I drove, I couldn't help but think about what I just had read on the last page.

_ << _

_ For the last couple of days, I have been thinking that tomorrow is your birthday and meditating over whether to come back to Smallville or not. This morning, I prepared a bag with clothes for a couple of days and went to the bus station. The answer has always been there: I couldn't spend your birthday without seeing you. Your birthday and our first kiss for me would always be together. So, I have decided to look for you. I think I am going to tell you everything and let you decide what you want to do. I still don't have all the answers that I need, and I don't think I will have them soon. The idea of having left without telling you anything seems to me more and more foolish. _

_ Two weeks ago, I went to the art university campus. It is where the photography classes are taught. I had spent the whole day there. I entered every building and went through the entire library. I am sure you would like it very much. My heart stopped when in one of the corridors I saw a couple kissing. For a second, I thought it was you with Scott Addams. I stood there like an idiot until they separated, and when I realized it wasn't you, I felt so relieved. I hurried out, and since then, I have been tormented by the fact that you could be with someone else. Actually, I have always thought Scott was so in love with you as I am. Well, as I am, it is impossible. _

_ That day, when I got home, I did the only thing that I could do: I called my mother and asked about you. She told me that you are still in town but that she doesn't see you much. That leaves me full of doubts because I thought that by now you would be here, in Metropolis. Maybe that's why I haven't been able to leave this city until now. Because deep down, I had hoped to see you here, and if that happened, it would be destiny that would have united us.  _

_ I had daydreaming that you live here with me. We have breakfast together every morning, and then you go to college. At the same time, I continue investigating and looking for clues of my past. And later, we have dinner, and we tell each other what we have done during the day.  _

_ I think in our kiss more than I should. Sometimes, I torment myself, wondering if you have forgotten me or if you kissed me because you found out how I felt about you and you didn't want me to leave. I need to talk about this with you. I have thought about calling you so many times, but I never dare. So, here I am, in the act of bravery, sleeping just a hundred miles from home, in the same motel where I stayed the first night I left, in the same place I started to write this notebook.  _

_ I want to surprise you tomorrow, but I don't know what to do or how you react. If I show up at your home with daisies, what would you do? Would you tell me to go fuck myself? Would you be happy to see me? Would you kiss me again? _

_ I am sorry for my terrible handwriting today, but I will see you in a few hours, which makes me quite nervous. _

_ I love you. _

_ Clark. _

_ >> _

I parked away from the farm because I didn't want to wake up Martha or the dog. I wasn't sure what I would do and if Clark would be awake or not, but I couldn't go to sleep, ignoring everything that I had just read. 

When I got out of the car, I felt the cold of the Kansas night, and I realized that I had left home so fast that I was wearing my pajamas. I was grateful, at least, for having been lucid enough to wear sneakers to drive.

I hurried to the door, holding the notebook tightly to my chest. Reading Clark's first year outside of Smallville had begun to crack the wall of self-protection that I had built around my heart. It allowed me to start to understand his actions. Before, I couldn't empathize with him because I didn't understand why he had left, although it still hurt me that he hadn't called once in ten years, even when I lost my father. I spent a lot of time wanting to contact him, but I didn't know-how. The parts where he explained why he acted the way he did, the promise that he made to his father, and the fact that he had to let him die in front of his eyes had moved me deeply. My eyes became wet again, remembering the pain he had transmitted to me on those pages.

I was so nervous that before I realized it, I was already on the porch. I went upstairs, trying to make as little noise as possible, and stood a few inches from the door. Should I knock? If I hit softly, could Clark hear it? Would he have a keen ear too? As far as I knew, he had strength and speed, but I didn't know if he would have any more gifts.

"¿Brooke?"

I winced as I heard his voice. When I turned, I didn't expect to have him so close. I watched him for a few seconds. He was wearing a jacket similar to the shirt he had forgotten in my house and a worried face.

"Are you alright?" He asked. 

I shook my head.

Clark went up one step as I went down another. Three stairs were all that separated us.

"What's wrong?" He insisted, alarmed. 

"I had read it." I stamped the notebook against his chest. "Until the last page," I add with a trembling voice. 

Clark took the notebook, nodding. He held it in his hands and looked at it thoughtfully. 

"What time is it?"

Clark looked at his clock. "Two o'clock." He answered, looking me in the eyes.

Two in the morning. Incredible. I had run out of my house like a mad person, without stopping to look at the time. Clark should think I was crazy. No one shows up at your home without warning on a Sunday night, in pajamas and visibly upset. A gust of air sneaked between us, and I shivered.

"You're shaking." He commented as he unzipped his jacket.

"No." I shook my head. "That's not necessary. It doesn't matter."

"It matters to me." He went up another step. In a movement too fast for a human, he took off his jacket. Before I could repeat to him that it wasn't necessary, he had already put it on my shoulders. 

"Thank you," I whispered. 

"You're welcome."

For a moment, neither of us said anything. Being two steps above, I was almost at his height, and I didn't have to raise my face to see him. The light was too dim for me to appreciate his blue eyes.

"Clark..." It was hard for me to find the right words. "I ... can you show me... the ship?" My voice trembled as I spoke. I didn't know if it was because of the cold or the nerves. Right now, it was what I needed to see the most in the world. I had the feeling that it would be decisive to fall to one side or the other of the fine rope that I felt I had been stepping on since his return.

He nodded without saying anything, and that's how I followed him to the barn in silence. When we entered, he turned on the lights and walked to the end. He moved a few heavy blocks of alfalfa without flinching, then he tugged on a rope, and the wood on the ground parted, revealing some stairs. It surprised me that I didn't know that the barn had an underground floor after so many years of friendship. I wondered how many people would know it and how much I still didn't know about the Clark in front of me. He seemed to guess my thoughts.

"No one knew. No one knows," Clark corrected himself. "Only my mother and well, now, you as well."

I followed him downstairs. We ended up in a room almost as big as the one above but with worse light. Something huge was in the center, covered by a white cloth. Clark stood next to it, and I stopped at the bottom of the stairs. He grabbed the fabric and squeezed it between his fingers.

"Are you sure?" He looked at me straight in the eye.

"Are you, Clark?"

He nodded and tugged at the fabric, revealing the ship. I covered my mouth with my hand, causing Clark's jacket to slip down my shoulders and fall to the floor. It was true. Everything he had written in the notebook was true. I already knew what I would find before coming, but it was still very different to read it than to see it with my own eyes.

"My parents found me," Clark started. "For a long time, they thought that the government would appear demanding me. Luckily, no one ever came." He spoke without looking at me while caressing the metal of the ship. "What I'm trying to tell you, although you already know, is that I'm not from this planet. I'm not human."

All the pain Clark had transmitted to me through his written words, along with the expression on his face at the time, made me unable to hold back the tears. I fully understood that he had left and even more after his father's death, which I am sure he still blamed himself for. I would have done the same. 

"At first, I denied this because I didn't want to be part of it. I was scared." Clark grimaced. "In fact, the first thing I asked my father as if we couldn't continue pretending that I was his son. I wanted to be normal, have a family, and not wonder where my birth parents would be. Did they come to this planet with me? Did they try to look for me? Did they abandon me?" Clark took a deep breath. "I haven't had an easy life. I've never fit in with anyone, and I've always felt out of place, but do you know what made me feel normal?" He paused, and my heart was waiting. "You. You were what made me feel normal."

I sobbed so hard that Clark took his eyes off the device that had brought him to earth and focused his gaze on me.

"Why are you crying?"

The considerable lump that tightly pressed against my throat kept me from answering. I wiped away my tears. I had been blind.

"Brooke, I would like to know what you are thinking. I need to know if you are afraid of me or not because right now, all I want to do is get closer to you, but I don't want to exceed any limit. I know it is a lot of information to assimilate, but I need to know if you cry because you are scared and want to leave."

It seemed incredible that Clark continued to care about me and what I thought more than himself, even in a situation like this.

"You have to believe me when I say that I didn't want to hurt you." He hit the ship, which made a dent. "I promised my father that I wouldn't say anything to anyone, and that included you. It was complicated for me. I was afraid that what my parents believed would be fulfilled, that you would be scared of me and that you would see me as the weirdo that others saw." Clark rested his right palm on the ship and lowered his head. "I don't want you to be afraid of me," he whispered in a broken voice.

"Clark ..." I took a step in his direction, and he closed his eyes. He looked hurt. I positioned myself in the free gap between him and the ship. I placed my hands on his cheeks and forced him to turn his face. When our eyes met, my heart began to pound. He didn't move. It looked like he was going to let me take the first step. This time I understood, he had just revealed his greatest secret to me, and he had already told me:  _ "I want to tell you the truth and that you decide." _

"Clark," I called him again and held back the desire to kiss him because I knew that at that moment, what we needed was to talk. "I'm not afraid of you." His expression relaxed a little. "I could never be afraid of you." I took my hands off his cheeks and let them fall on both sides of my body." I am so sorry I wasn't there when you need me the most."

He opened his mouth to say something, but I stepped forward. Now it was my turn to speak. He had already exposed his heart to me by leaving me his notebook without reservation. 

"It hurts me to know what you've had to go through alone and how blind I've been. I'm so sorry." I couldn't help crying again.

Anticipating my movements, he straightened up as I closed the distance that separated us. I wrapped my arms around his waist. He did the same to me, and we embraced as we had done so many years ago, with a lot of feelings between us. I buried my head in his chest and allowed myself to cry.

"Please, don't cry." He spoke against my hair.

"I'm sorry, Clark." 

"Why? It's not your fault." He said, rubbing my back.

"I'm sorry. You have always been there for me, and I..."

Clark gently pushed me away. I didn't have enough strength to look at his face. "Brooke, you've always been here for me. Always."

I didn't take my eyes off his chest. I hated that people saw me cry, it made me feel vulnerable, and I had to be strong, my sister depended on my strength. "I have soaked your shirt, sorry." I pointed with my hand where there was a trace of my tears.

"I don't care. I want to know how you feel."

How did I feel? Well, messed up. I still had a lot to assimilate. Clark had returned. Clark had powers. Clark had gone to look for his parents, Clark and I had kissed. Clark. Clark. Clark. Did he love me? Had he found his parents? Did he come looking for me?

"Did you come looking for me?" I asked, terrified.

Clark's face became the living image of pain. He closed his eyes and nodded.

I hid my face in my hands and sighed. It wasn't possible. No.

"You weren't here," he informed, "And I would have come looking for you if my mother hadn't told me that after a whole year, it was the first day that she'd seen you excited about something."

"I left because I was horrified that you wouldn't return." I was honest. "For a long time, I suffered your absence, and when I realized that you probably would not return and that I had to move on with my life, I gave myself the deadline. I would wait for you for a year, and then, I would leave, but the very idea that the year would end on my birthday, and probably you wouldn't return, was too much to handle. So, scared to death, I decided to leave the day before. I felt terrible for not having gone to see your mother in a whole year. I realized that I'd been selfish and that she had lost you too. So I went to apologize and say goodbye. Actually, I was hoping to come and see you sitting on the swing. As usual."

"I'm sorry." He apologized.

I shrugged my shoulders. It didn't matter anymore. "Do you realize that I left and you came?" A bitter laugh escaped me as I wiped away the remnants of tears. The amount of suffering we could have saved ourselves was too much. Where would we be now if we had met on the road? Would we have lived together in Metropolis?

"I'm sorry I made you suffer," he insisted, "I never thought it was as painful for you as it was for me. If I had known, I would have removed the entire Metropolis until I found you."

I didn't know what to answer to that. I remembered then that when Clark came to my house days ago, he had told me he knew who he was. Did that mean...

"Have you found your parents, right?"

"Yes, I have."

"That's great. I'm so happy for you." It was true that I was happy, but it also made me nervous. If Clark had found his family, would he leave to be with them? 

"I don't know what you are thinking right now, but I'm not going to leave," he said. "I've made the same promise to my mother."

I wanted to believe him, but it was too much to assimilate. I didn't want the romantic part to cloud everything else. First of all, Clark and I had been best friends for years, so I reminded myself that I had to act like a real friend.

"Do you want to talk about them?" I questioned. "Your parents, how are they like?"

"Actually, I've only found Jor-El, my father," Clark explained. 

Jor-El? At that moment, I realized that these parents had probably given Clark another name. A name from another planet.

"Did they give you another name?"

"Yes," he nodded calmly. "Kal. Kal-El is my name."

"Kal-El," I repeated, amazed. It was still difficult for me to assimilate that the Clark in front of me had other parents and that I had a lot to discover about Kal. "And your mother?"

"My mother is dead."

"I'm so sorry." I grabbed his hand and squeezed it gently.

"Actually, my father is also dead. Both of them died on Krypton, my planet. I've found a hologram of him, his consciousness." 

I shook my head. What? A hologram of his father? Did that exist? 

"What are you thinking?" Clark rubbed the top of my hand with his thumb.

"Could you give me the second notebook, please?"

"I can tell you everything you want to know."

"I know, but I prefer to read it."

"Why?"

"I like to know how you felt at each moment, where you were and what you were you doing, and also how you felt about me over time."

There was no point in keeping things hidden any longer.

"Brooke, look at me." I did what he asked. "I think the answer is more than evident." He released my hand and spread his palms. "I'm afraid if I'm dreaming, or worse if I'm not, but you decide to stay away from me when you finish reading the notebooks, or when you discover all the things I can do. Maybe if you saw everything I'm capable of, you would be scared. I'm not sure what you will do, but I am sure of how I feel about you. I have never been more certain of anything in my life. Brooke, I've been in love with you since we were eleven years old, and that hasn't changed for a single second. Not when I was on the other side of the world, not now that I have you in front of me. Everything that had happened between us these last days seems too beautiful to be real, and I'm afraid that when you read everything that I have written, you will run away."

"Clark," I interrupted him. "Do you think if I were to do that, I would be here now? I have seen you lift a car with one hand, which is impossible a priori. I've come during the night wearing pajamas as soon as I've finished reading. I doubt very much that nothing you are going to tell me can surprise me. Well, no," I corrected myself, "I'm sure that everything you can tell me will surprise me. I've to assimilate many things because until a few days ago, I lived with the idea that I would never see you again or understand why you had left. Now you are here, and everything has changed, and at the same time, it is still the same. I don't know if it makes any sense, but I'm not going to run away, and even if I did, would you catch me in a few seconds, right?" I tried to make a joke when I saw that he was still serious.

Clark chuckled.

"So, can you please give me the second notebook?"

"Okay. What do you think if you go to rest now, and I'll bring all of them to you tomorrow when you finish working?"

"It sounds good to me. Then it's a date." I smiled.

Clark smiled back, showing me all his teeth. How could someone have such a perfect smile?  _ Not a human _ , the voice in my mind reminded me.

He covered the ship again with the sheet and passed me. He picked up his jacket from the floor and held it up in the air for me to put it on. When I had the jacket on, Clark pulled his hands away, and I felt empty. I zipped it up, and its scent sneaked back into my nose. The garment

reached mid-thigh, and I had to pull my sleeves back a bit to get my hands out.

He waved for me to come first, so I turned and walked past him to the staircase. I climbed three steps in silence and stopped. I turned and discovered that Clark was only one step below me.

"Clark," I murmured in a strangled voice.

"What." He stopped and looked at me with concern. I gently brushed a lock of hair from his face, and he closed his eyes. He opened his mouth to release the air, and then I kissed him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, here we have a long chapter. What do you think? Brooke finally begins to understand Clark, and in the end she couldn't help but kiss him. Soon she'll continue to discover Clark's other powers. There is very little left for the arrival of Zod. Tell me what you think, it makes me happy to read your opinion.
> 
> Thanks for reading this story, I hope you like it.


	11. I hear your heartbeat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning:
> 
> This chapter is long, and contains a small explicit sex scene.

It was only eleven in the morning, and I was about to drink my third coffee. The first one I had taken at home, the second one I had brought in a tumbler to the office, and the third one I just picked up from the vending machine. When I returned to my table, I set the drink down carefully and let myself fall on the chair. I wasn't as productive as I would have liked this morning. Fortunately, I was ahead in the photo retouching, and that would give me time to finish everything by Friday. I was tired because I had slept five hours, and that was me being generous. I rested my left elbow on the table and my head on the palm. I let out a huge sigh when I remembered how Clark had kissed me back the night before. After that, he walked me home and promised that he would bring me all the remaining notebooks this afternoon. I was still surprised that he would walk back to the farm, but he reminded me that he would already be back on his porch before getting to my room. I had to get used to his powers.

The office was almost empty; seven people worked here, including my boss. Smallville's magazine was minimal, so much that we didn't even have a marketing department. Most of my coworkers had spent an average of twenty years here, which was the years they were older than me. The work environment was a little boring, but I liked taking pictures and editing them. There were no other photographers in town, so I could do whatever I wanted. Hopefully, in the future, if I ended up moving, I would get to work in a more dynamic environment. I spent the morning editing the photos I took last weekend, and I was so focused that I almost forgot to eat. I did it simply because Emma, one of my coworkers, reminded me of it.

Before I knew it, my workday was over. As I was going down in the elevator, I looked at my smartphone. I would like to know what time Clark would be at home because I was so tired that I want to take a nap, but I didn't have his number, and I didn't know if he had a phone either. And no, I wasn't going to call his house for two reasons: that would be like going back directly to eleven years old, and I didn't know if his mother knew anything about ... us? In any case, I had to ask him.

I left the building, and before I could take a step toward the car, my phone rang. It was one audio from my sister. I pressed the listen button, and I put the phone against my ear.

"Brooke, I'm on my period, and I've used the last tampon. Would you mind buying a pack before going home? Oh, and if you buy some chocolate, ice cream, or whatever I can eat while I watch a romantic movie, I would love you forever. I have one of those junk food days. Thank you. You're the best."

When I finished listening to her, I couldn't help but laugh; the voice she used to ask for favors always made me laugh. I pressed the record button and responded to her message: "You're fortunate. I just got off work. I'm going to stop by Betty's store. If you need anything else, it's time to say it. By the way, can we talk when I get home?"

My sister's response was immediate, but this time it was a text instead of audio: "I'll never understand why you send such short audios. I don't need anything else. When you arrive, let me know, and I'll come down."

I bought the groceries as fast as I could. I wanted to get home and talk to Jamie before Clark came. I preferred to avoid an awkward situation with her and Clark. Also, I didn't feel utterly calm about lying to her. Besides, I had the suspicion that Clark and I would spend time together again. So the sooner I cleared up the situation with my sister, the better it would be for everyone.

***

At home, after placing the groceries, I called Jamie but got no response. I stood at the bottom of the stairs. I listened to the running water from the shower, so I decided to sit and wait for her on the sofa, and without realizing it, I fell asleep.

***

The doorbell awakened me. I tried to get the dream of me, but I was too sleepy. I sat up slightly disoriented, trying to focus my eyes when the doorbell rang again.

"I'll open!" I heard my sister shout as she went downstairs.

I lay back down on the sofa. I realized I had drool on the corner of my mouth. I wiped it off using my sleeve and yawned.

"Look at your hair," Jamie pointed out, amused before opening the door. "What are you doing here?" The fierce voice of my sister seemed strange to me.

"Jamie?" I asked, surprised as I stood up. I was too asleep yet to understand what was going on.

"Go away! You've already caused her too much pain." Jamie spat furiously. My heart stopped when I realized that the person on the porch would be Clark.

"Can you give her this?" I heard Clark's voice, corroborating my suspicions.

When I was close to my sister, I put my hand on her shoulder. "Jamie," I said, still in a sleepy voice. She looked at me, and I begged her with my eyes to leave.

"Brooke!" She warned in a severe tone.

"Please," I begged.

She turned away from the door, and I watched her as she sat on the sofa, crossed her arms, and frowned at me. I took a step to the left and stood where she had been seconds before. As soon as the light hit my face, I had to close my eyelids. I blinked a few times until my eyes got used to the clarity, and I noticed that Clark was wearing jeans and a blue shirt that highlighted his eyes' color. As usual, he was so handsome without intending to.

"Hello." I smiled as I leaned against the door frame.

"Hello." He returned the smile, but the joy didn't reach his eyes.

We looked at each other for a few seconds, and I felt like the day he came looking for me to go to prom. Just like at that moment, I wanted to kiss him. Would he feel the same way? I remembered the kiss from last night, and my heartbeat fast, automatically he took a step in my direction. I yawned so much that I feel embarrassed. "Sorry." I apologized when I took my hand from my mouth.

Clark chuckled softly. "Did I wake you up?"

I nodded. "Do you want coffee?" I asked, containing another yawn.

"Brooke!" My sister snorted.

I took a step back and glared at her.

"Can we talk for a second?" She asked, visibly uncomfortable.

I thought for a few seconds about her idea. I didn't know what was better, whether to talk to her or not. I looked at Clark with an apologetic face, and he nodded.

"I'll wait for you here. I don't want to bother Jamie." He said.

"Thank you. I'll be right back." That was all I said.

I left the door open and followed my sister into the backyard. I knew she was angry from the way she was stomping on the ground,

"What's wrong with you?" I wanted to know as soon as we were out in the backyard.

"Me?" she replied, crossing her arms. "I'm not the one who was sad yesterday because that...  _ idiot  _ has returned to town."

"Don't insult him," I answered bluntly.

"Damn it, Brooke! I only care about you. I don't want him to break your heart again."

"I appreciate your concern Jamie, but yesterday you said that you would respect any decision I made."

"Just because I respect your decisions doesn't mean I like them. You're acting very erratic, you've been fucking Scott all weekend to avoid thinking about Clark, and now you're inviting him into the house?"

I couldn't help but laugh. Seeing such a tiny person so pissed off was fun.

"Are you laughing? You are incredible," she shook her head. "You know what? Do whatever you want, but don't ask me to be nice to him."

"Jamie, please. It's important to me."

"Well, to be so important to you, I remind you that you have another guy's shirt on your pillow."

"Jamie, the shirt belongs to Clark," I confessed suddenly.

My sister made the same face as if I had thrown a glass of water over her head.

"How is it possible? You've been here with Scott."

I shook my head and bit my lip.

"You lied to me?" my sister raised her eyebrows. "What does that mean? Wait a minute, have you slept with  _ Kent _ ?"

I nodded.

"But, what about Scott? I don't get it, Brooke. I don't understand why you lied to me."

"I know, I wanted to tell you today as soon as I got home, but you were taking a shower, and then you didn't wake me up. I'm sorry, but can we talk about it later, please?" I pleaded with my eyes.

"Okay," she agreed. "I'll be in my room. If you need anything, just let me know."

Without saying anything else, she turned and left. I followed her into the house, and before I could reach the front door, I heard the door slamming as she entered her room.

Clark was still standing on the front porch. He had his right hand inside his pocket, and he was holding a sports bag with his left.

"Clark," I called from the threshold. He turned and looked at me. "I'm sorry about that. Come on in!"

"I don't think that's a good idea. Anyway, I just came here to bring you the notebooks," Clark's voice sounded flat. I took a step in his direction, grabbed his arm, and pulled him inside. Then, I closed the door.

"Coffee?" I asked again. He shook his head. "Would you like to sit on the back porch with me?"

Clark shrugged his shoulders. Enough. He had been in town for a few days, and I was tired of seeing his worried face. I pursed my lips and sighed.

"What?" He asked.

"Nothing," I answered quickly. "I want to spend time with you, but I think you just want to go." I went into the kitchen and poured myself a cup of coffee. I felt his presence behind me. I turned around and leaned against the counter. I took a sip of the coffee and looked at him. "What my sister said …"

"She's right." He cut me off.

"Well, it's true that you hurt me when you left, but you already knew that, and you've also suffered," I replied, approaching him. "Before I didn't understand anything, now I do."

He remained silent.

"Anyway, what my sister says does not change anything."

"She cares about you."

"I know," I nodded. "Clark, I would like you to stay with me for a while," I said without taking my eyes off the cup.

"Okay," He agreed.

"Do you want to drink something?"

He shook his head.

"Okay, let's go outside." I left the kitchen and headed to the backyard with Clark following me. I sat down on the stairs and leaned my back against the railing. Clark sat next to me. "How was your day?" I asked before taking another drink of my coffee.

"Good. I've been helping my mother on the farm. And you?"

"I almost fell asleep at the desk. It was hard for me to concentrate. I've been distracted."

"Why?"

"Because of you," I confessed without realizing it. Clark looked at me with intensity, and I approached slightly. "I've been thinking about you all day," I added, blushing.

"I've also been thinking about you." He replied, leaning in my direction.

"And what have you thought about?" I asked.

"Seeing you again and kissing you."

"I've thought of the same thing," I whispered. When I was inches from his face, I closed my eyes. He kissed me gently, and I felt my skin burn. I grabbed his shirt with the hand that wasn't holding the mug and pulled him a little closer. Clark finished kissing me sooner than I would like, and I made a disapproving sound, causing him to laugh.

"What are you laughing at?"

"You. You're so funny when you just woke up."

I rolled my eyes. "Well, where are the notebooks?"

Clark placed his bag between us. I put the cup down on the top step. I unzipped the bag and found that all the notebooks had the same black hardcover. I carefully took one out of the bag and held it in my hands.

"They all look the same. I should have numbered those." He said.

"Don't worry." I reached his hand and squeezed it gently. "It means a lot to me that you let me read this very intimate part of you."

He looked at our hands and sighed.

"Why are you sighing?" I asked, looking at his face.

"I was thinking about how nice it would be to go hand in hand with you everywhere." He answered, honestly.

The image of Clark and I were holding hands projected into my mind. Still, I immediately remembered that the whole town, including his mother, thinks I was dating Scott, which reminded me of the conversation I just had with my sister.

"Clark, I need to ask you something," I said, swallowing.

"Of course, shoot."

"But you have to promise me that you won't laugh," I added.

He frowned slightly and nodded.

"Among all your...  _ gifts _ ... there is the super-ear, right?"

Clark tried not to smile and nodded.

"So that's why you heard my sister go up the front porch yesterday, wasn't it?"

He nodded again.

"Which means that, before, have you heard everything we've talked about?"

"I tried to focus on other noises to give you some privacy, but your sister was talking a little loudly."

I bit the inside of my cheek. I didn't know what to say because we had already talked about Scott. Besides, what was I going to tell him? Clark and I weren't dating, were we? There was no point in what I was thinking or in giving him explanations.

"And what else can you hear?" I asked to focus on other things.

"Your heart. I can hear your heartbeat. Before, when you smiled at me at the door, it accelerated a little, so I needed to approach you."

I felt like my skin was turning red quickly. Clark could hear my heart. Of course, if he could listen to things happening far from him, how could he not listen to my heart?

"It's not fair," I commented, embarrassed. Clark raised an eyebrow. "It's not fair that you can know when my heart is racing, and I can't know when yours is."

"Brooke," he squeezed my hand, "mine accelerates every time I see you or think of you."

I cursed. "Why are you doing this to me?" I rested my head on his shoulder.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, but you can't say those things to me and hope that I stay so calm."

"Why not?"

"Because now I want to kiss you inappropriately."

"Your sister…"

"I know." I looked at my sneakers, and then this crazy idea came to my mind. "What if we go to the lake?" I asked as I stood up.

"Now?"

"Yes. Now. Before night falls. We can go there so I can read." I jumped to my feet and pulled him. "Come on!"

Clark got up laughing. "You're very enthusiastic to be a lake where we've gone together a thousand times."

"I'm going to tell Jamie and change my clothes!"

I hurried up the stairs and knocked on the door.

"Come in!" Jamie yelled reluctantly. I found her lying on the bed, typing at full speed on the phone. "What's wrong with you?" I asked, sitting next to her.

"You already know."

I stroked her head lovingly. "I have to explain some things to you. I know, but I'd like to find out how I feel about Clark first. It's also new to me."

"You've suffered a lot," my sister grabbed my hand. "I've grown up with you and his ghost for a long time. You used to call him in nightmares, Brooke."

"I know, but everything is different now," I assured. "And I know it sounds clichéd, but if you give me a couple of days, I promise I will explain everything. I need you to trust me."

"Okay."

"I'm going for a walk with Clark. Do you mind?"

"I don't care. I have huge ovarian pain, and I'm not planning to move from here. Unless you want me to go to sleep at Liam's."

"No, don't worry. I don't need you to go."

"Sure? Don't you want him to leave a forgotten shirt in your room again? You could collect them," she joked, laughing.

Okay. A joke. That my sister made a joke about it was a good thing. I kissed her on the forehead. "I'm sure. See you later then. I think there's pizza, so if you're hungry and I'm not back yet, bake it."

"Don't worry. I was about to watch a romantic movie on Netflix and grab the ice cream you brought."

"Good plan," I replied as I walked out the door.

Back in my room, I quickly got rid of the jeans and shirt, which were a little sweaty, and decided to wear slightly cooler clothes. Indeed in the lake with the humidity, it would probably be hotter. I put on my swimsuit and a thin green dress with butterflies on it. I went downstairs and found Clark waiting at the bottom of the stairs. He smiled at me, and I kissed him.

"How did you get here?" I asked when we separated.

"Walking." He replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Okay, let's go to the lake in my car then." 

"If that's what you want, yes. Or if you want us to meet directly there, you know that I'll arrive before you." He smirked at me.

I shook my head. "You know," I whispered. "I'm starting to think that  _ Kal-El  _ is a bit of a braggart."

Clark grabbed me by the waist and lifted me in the air with one arm. Our faces were inches away. "So, a braggart, huh?"

I nodded and laughed.

"But just a little bit, right?" He commented, approaching me.

"Yeah. Just a little bit." I agreed before kissing him again.

***

As always, the lake was empty. I couldn't help, but many memories come to mind when we sat in the same place we used to occupy. It had been ten years since I stopped here. Clark and I spent most of the afternoon reading. Sometimes I read silently while my head rested on his leg. Others, it was he who read the pages aloud. My feelings were quite unstable most of the time. I was wandering in a state that changes from disbelief, pride, sadness, and joy. I laughed with some parts and couldn't help but cry with others.

"Clark," I called him in a low voice, but he didn't answer me. "Clark." I stopped stroking his hair.

"Huh?" He opened his eyes. It seemed that he had fallen asleep.

"Were you asleep?" I asked, holding back my laughter.

"No, but I really like it when you do that to me. It calms me down."

"I know. It wouldn't be the first time you fell asleep while I stroked your head."

"How long are you going to remind me? I didn't fall asleep watching a Walk to remember. My eyes just were resting."

"Whatever."

"Well, what's so important that you have to tell me? What have you read?"

"Oh." I shifted a little uncomfortably. "Well, I was reading about prom."

"Oh. That." Clark relaxed again. "What about that?"

"Why didn't you ask me to come with you?"

"Because you asked me before."

"Yeah, but I asked you to go as friends, not in a romantic way."

"For me, it wasn't different. I was happy to go with you."

"Of course, it's different." I barked.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I would have liked you to ask me out in a romantic way."

Clark moved to sit in front of me. "Honestly, I never thought I'd get a chance with you. You just rejected the most popular guy in class, and what chance did I have against Scott?"

I huffed, annoyed.

"Why is it bothering you so much?"

"Well, because that day, when you came to look for me, I wanted to kiss you. I saw you at the door, with the flower bracelet for me, looking so handsome…"

"Did I look good in the red graduation gown and with the horrible cap?"

"Yes, you were hot. And it makes me angry because maybe if you had asked me, we would have kissed, and perhaps we wouldn't have suffered away from each other so long. Reading your words, I realize that you have had as bad a time as I have. And also, I would have liked to dance with you." I added in a whisper.

"Really?"

"Why are you so surprised?"

"Well, I don't know. I always thought you were out of my league."

"Clark, I kissed you when you came to say goodbye to me."

"That was three months later."

"Okay, it doesn't matter," I replied, annoyed.

"It does matter if it bothers you so much."

"Yes, it bothers me because I read your words, and it seems that you are describing exactly how I felt. The desire to touch you to kiss you... I don't know... makes me angry." I closed the notebook and left it on the ground.

Clark put his hands on the ground to push himself forward and moved a little closer to me. "There's no point in thinking what would have happened, Brooke."

"I know," I sighed. "Tell me about the fourth of July, the last one, the day we came here." On one of the pages Clark had read to me, the first day in my kitchen, he confessed that on the 4th of July, here on the lake, he realized that he was in love with me. At that moment, he had decided to leave to look for his identity. 

"What do you want to know?" He asked, stroking my forearm.

"Did you really realize here that you were in love with me?"

"Yes. Deeply."

My heart jumped.

"So at prom, if I had kissed you, would you have pulled away?" I wanted to know.

"What do you think?" He looked at me incredulously.

"I don't know; that's why I'm asking."

"Of course not. I would have been shocked for the first few seconds, like when you kissed me the first time, but then I would have kissed you back."

"But you didn't like me then."

"I haven't said that. I told you last night that I've been in love with you since I was eleven years old. I just realized that day that I wanted to have a real opportunity with you, and for that, I needed to know who I was. I was eighteen, Brooke, I had no idea of anything, but I did know that I loved you."

I blushed. I also remembered that day. That day I was about to kiss Clark in the water, but I didn't dare in the end. Here could have been our first kiss.

"Until then," he continued, "I was happy to have you by my side, but I remember the exact moment when everything changed for me. It wasn't that it changed, but that it acquired a new meaning. We were running a race, remember?"

I nodded.

"You were laughing like crazy while running. The finish line was the lakeshore. Whoever lost would pay for dinner that night." He laughed.

"It's true," I said. "You won. Wait, did you cheat?"

He shook his head.

"Clark, you were waiting for me at the end of the pier. You were arms crossed as if you'd been there for an hour. That was braggart, admit it."

"Yes. I was a braggart. And then, you threw yourself on me and pushed me into the lake. We both fell. When you pulled your head out of the water, your hair was stick to your face, and you were laughing out loud. The lights from the fireworks were reflected in your pupils, and in that instant, I knew it. I knew I wanted to observe those eyes for the rest of my life. I wanted to look at them after kissing you, while you laughed, when you cried, when I made love to you, I wanted to see your eyes always. You stopped watching the show to look at me, suddenly you stopped laughing and became very serious. You slowly swam in my direction, and I got really nervous, and then, you splashed me in the face and laughed like crazy again. _ "We fell into the lake with clothes,"  _ you said while you laughed. And I told you it was funny that you said we fell when you pushed us both."

"Clark, I almost kissed you." I interrupted him. "I stopped laughing because I wanted to kiss you."

"Really?" Clark used that surprised tone again. Why was it so hard to believe that I was attracted to him?

"I swear to you. Think about it,  _ Kent _ , our first kiss could have been on the lake, but you didn't know how to take the chance."

Clark looked discreetly around, and before I realize it, he had lifted me into his arms.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"This time, I'm going to take my chance." He answered as he walked with me in his arms towards the dock.

"What? No! Clark, put me down!"

He gave me a mischievous smile.

" _ Kent _ ! Don't you dare!" I exclaimed when we were on edge.

Clark raised his eyebrows and gave me a face that said:  _ don't tempt me. _

"Let me take off my sneakers." I moved my feet to take off my shoes, and when the second one hit the wood of the edge, Clark dropped me into the lake.

I sank into the water, which was a little cold, and moved my legs quickly. Before I could reach the surface, I heard the unmistakable sound of Clark jumping into the water near me. I noticed his hands on my waist, lifting me and launching me into the air, causing me to drop into the water again. When I put my head out for air, I was laughing so hard I couldn't breathe. I felt Clark's hands on my hips again, but this time he turned me gently to face him. When our eyes met, the feeling of joy changed into something else, and I felt totally trapped by the atmosphere of tension that surrounded us.

"Hello," I whispered as I moved not to sink. Unlike Clark, I didn't walk on the lake.

"Hello," he replied, approaching me slowly.

He held me by the waist so that I didn't have to keep moving before kissing me. His lips were so warm that I stopped feeling the cold water. He pulled me against him, and I responded by resting my hands on his shoulders and wrapping my legs around his body. He tightened his grip on my waist, and my skin went goosebumps. When he separated from me, I gasped for breath, and a huge smile adorned his face.

"Why do you smile so much?" I kissed the tip of his nose.

"I'm happy to have seized my opportunity." He replied.

"It only took you ten years,  _ Kent _ ," I said, touching his lips with mine.

"You could have given me some hint,  _ Reed  _ ." He answered against my mouth.

"A hint like this?" I asked before kissing the skin of his neck.

Clark moaned, and I felt the desire to shake my entire body. I rubbed against him and bit his neck with passion. I almost lost my mind when I felt his hands moved from my waist to my ass, and he lifted me slightly.

"You know what,  _ Kent  _ ?" I whispered against his ear. "I hope you take this opportunity." I bit his ear.

Clark cursed before reaching for my mouth with his to kiss me passionately. I trembled when he caught my bottom lip between his teeth and bit me. My hands ran over his bare chest as he buried his face in my neck.

"Where is your shirt?" I asked, feeling his naked skin under my palms.

Clark left my neck to look at me. "I took it off before jump into the water," he commented before kissing me again, "so you won't have to go home with your dress wet."

His confession made my heart flutter like a hummingbird. The warm feeling of my lips settled inside my body as well. I gently brushed the lock of hair from his forehead, and his eyes looked at me with intensity. As I kissed him, I reached for the button of his jeans with my hands. I tried to unbutton it between kisses, but the wet fabric and the water movement made it impossible for me. I growled in frustration, and Clark's response was immediate. In a quick action, his hands replaced mine, and he unbuttoned his pants.

"Thank you. You're very thoughtful,  _ Kent  _ ." I joked.

"Whatever you need,  _ Reed _ ." He sounded pretty cocky.

I outlined his lip with my tongue, and the blustering smile disappeared from his face and was replaced by a wild expression. I didn't know why, but that he used my last name in this context seemed very sexy to me, and it made my interior burn with desire. I pulled down his pants as fast as I could. I couldn't wait any longer. I needed him now. Clark grabbed me by the waist and pulled me up enough to stand in front of my entrance. I was surprised at how easily he entered me. With wet skin, it was easier to lose control.

"I like it." My voice was muffled.

"What?" He asked.

"Everything. That you use my last name." I whispered, kissing his neck. He responded by moving his hip, and I had to bite his skin to keep myself from moaning loudly.

"Me too," he replied, still moving, "I prefer you call me  _ Kent  _ while I make love to you than when you're mad at me."

My breathing quickened. Clark's hands explored me gently while I pressed hard my palms against his skin. I needed to feel him closer. "Sorry." I apologized when I realized I had dug my nails on his back.

"Don't worry. I'm strong. It was like the scratch of a tiny kitten." Clark didn't stop moving his hips against me.

Those words made me feel closer to him than ever. There were no secrets between us anymore. I had thought many times what it would be like to make love with him and what it would have been to kiss him in the lake, and the reality was surpassing my imagination. I let myself go against him as the little waves did against the sand on the shore. And he followed me a few seconds later, still muttering my name. I collapsed against his body and rested my head on his shoulder. He held me firmly as if he were the anchor that kept me from drifting.

"I don't want you to leave again," I said as I hugged him tightly.

Clark pulled back gently. He grabbed my right hand and kissed it before placing it on his chest. I felt the warmth of his skin, but I also felt his heart.

"My heartbeats," he explained, "they are yours. Now you can also listen to them."

My eyes blurred with tears. I felt many different emotions. All Clark just said, and what I had read in his notebook, and also for all I had recently experienced in Clarks's arms.

"I couldn't go, Brooke, because my heart would stay here with you," he caressed my cheek with affection. "I love you," he assured me, and I kissed him once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another long chapter and another scene of love and sex between them. What do you think? Probably in the next chapter we have an appearance by Scott, and Zod is coming. I hope you liked it.
> 
> As always, I would like to know your opinion, and if you want to correct my language errors, please do so :)
> 
> Have a wonderful week! Thanks for reading!


	12. I think I'm jealous

The next two days were the same. I would get up early, drink coffee, go to the office, drink more coffee. Clark would pick me up at home, and then we would go to the lake and spend the afternoon reading until nightfall. I found out that Clark had lived as a nomad for most of his time out of town. I also understood how he had felt about our friendship throughout the years. And how his mother had taught him to calm down when the world seemed too big and how I had unknowingly been a support to him.

"Brooke." My colleague Emma called me, and I turned my head automatically. "I'm going to send you the article about the festival. Please add the photos when you have time so I could send it to the printer."

I smiled at her while nodding my head. The article's layout was all the work I had today, and it shouldn't take me a lot of time. It didn't seem like anything interesting was going to happen in a town in the next few days, but I was nervous and tired. I had been sleeping very little lately because every night, I hadn't been able to stop reading until I fell asleep, so the next day, I had the urge to fill my body with caffeine.

And I was nervous because I only had one notebook left to read, and it was Clark's last year. He had made me promise that we would read it together because, according to him, it was the most interesting. As far as I knew, he had met his father a few weeks before returning to Smallville, and I assumed that was the story he was going to read me this afternoon. I entertained myself in my daydreams, imagining what Jor-El would be like. Would he have the same hair color as Clark? The same blue eyes? Would he be just as kind? Or was that a quality acquired from the Kents?

I yawned before taking another sip of coffee. Hopefully, when the day was over, there would be nothing to keep me awake. Or at least that was what I hoped. On the weekend, I have to work at the bar and double shift Sunday because there will be an NFL game. I could take the mornings to rest and do the housework, although my sister had taken care of everything since Monday.

My cell phone rang. It was one audio from Jamie. It seemed that I had invoked her when thinking of her. As I always did when I was concentrating on work, I had my headphones on work, so I hit play, and my sister's voice flooded my ears.

"Hello. How's the morning going? I just got out of class. I almost fell asleep on trigonometry. I'm going to sleep at Liam's tonight, okay? And I'll go to class with him tomorrow, so you don't have to pick me up. You can invite the farmer boy over and steal another of his shirts if you want. I already saw that you have two in your room. How many more do you plan to keep? Last night I watched Dear John, and I finished the ice cream. I have to confess that I don't like binge romantic movies without you. I can't complain to anyone. I miss you seriously, and I'm looking forward to grabbing a coffee and talking with you. Does yoga and breakfast on Sunday sound good to you? Well, you tell me, have a good day. Love you."

Jamie and I used to practice yoga at least once a week. Usually, one time we did it on our house's back porch, and the other, we went to class. The center was still closed this month for holidays, leaving my sister and me with a single session at home. We signed up for Yoga two years ago, and it has been perfect for us to deal with stress, especially for me. However, Jamie was more nervous than usual because of college. I got up from my chair and went to the bathroom. No one would tell me anything about sending audio from my desk. Still, I didn't feel completely comfortable, so I chose the privacy of the toilet. I closed the door, leaned against the wall, and recorded one audio for my sister.

"The morning is going well, even though for the first time in a long time I really want to get off work. And yes, I want to see the farmer... I don't understand why you keep referring to him like that. Okay, thanks for letting me know that you don't sleep at home. I'm going to the grocery store when I leave the office. I've noticed that we need a few things and I suppose that tomorrow you'll want to eat another ice cream. Will I meet you home before you go? Sunday breakfast is fine, but not too early, please, because there would be a game at night, and I have a double shift at the bar. By the way, I'm glad to hear that you haven't fallen asleep on trigonometry. I hope I've answered everything. Love you too. Bye."

I put the phone in my jeans pocket and looked at my reflection in the mirror. I let go of the almost undone bun, and my blonde hair cascaded down. I tousled the root and tried to smooth it out with my hands before tying it again into a ballerina bun. Actually, I looked better than I did last week. My work colleague Emma kept telling me that I had a special sparkle in the eyes, and the truth is that I was beginning to see it too.

Clark returned a week ago, and my life had changed in many ways. I had barely seen my sister, and I was no longer… single? It was true that Clark and I hadn't defined our relationship yet, but it was also true that we had seen each other every day. He had told me that he loved me, although it had been through the words he wrote in his notebook most of the time. I still hadn't told him that. I wasn't prepared to confess my feelings out loud, and he preferred that I read the last notebook before we had the "talk" about what was going to happen or not. He still had doubts and believed that I could change my mind. I didn't know what would happen tonight if we had time to finish reading because every time we closed the notebook, all we had done was kiss each other. I had the feeling of being inside my 19-year-old body that at that time, all I was thinking about was Clark and the kiss we had given each other. Now, I understood why Jamie couldn't let go of Liam when they were together. Did that mean I was in love too?

I leaned against the sink and took my cell phone out again to text Clark. The other night, after we made love at the lake, I asked him if he had a phone. As I suspected, he hadn't, according to him, he never had the need to, but the next day he bought one. When he showed it to me, I couldn't help raising an eyebrow, and his answer was:  _ now I do need to communicate with someone. _

I laughed at the memory and typed quickly.

Brooke 11.17 am:  _ "I miss you." _

Clark 11.17 am: " _ I miss you more. How's work going?" _

Brooke 11.18 am: _ "Good. Can you pick me up a little later today? I have work to finish, and I want to go to the grocery store. Is six o'clock okay with you?  _ "

Clark 11.18 am:  _ "I'll be there." _

I felt a lot of butterflies flying inside my stomach.

_ Brooke 11.18 am: "My sister is going to sleep at her boyfriend's. Would you like to stay for dinner instead of going to the lake? Or we can go to the lake and then have dinner at home." _

_ Clark 11.18 am: "Okay. What do you need me to bring?" _

_ Brooke 11.19 am: "Pajamas?" _

I answered him and kept waiting. I saw the little dots on the screen that indicated he was writing appear and disappear a couple of times. It seemed like he was thinking about what to say. Mine had been a clear hint.

_ Clark 11:19 am: "Are you inviting me to sleep like when we were teenagers? Do I have to take my sleeping bag?" _

_ Brooke 11:19 am: "No because when we were 17, we really slept ;)" _

_ Clark 11.20 am: "Well played, Reed ;). See you at six." _

I returned to my desk without being able to contain my smile. It had been a long time since I had any enthusiasm for a person, and the idea of a romantic dinner with Clark at my place was fascinating for me. I really wanted to finish reading the notebook with him. I put on my headphones and tried to focus on getting the job done as quickly as possible. I wanted it to give me enough time to get home early, shower, and change clothes.

***

When I got off work, I went straight to the store, replenished what my sister and I needed, and then wandered the aisles, wondering what to buy. What could we have for dinner? After looking at a couple of recipes on my phone, I decided to make Tuscan chicken. I had most of the ingredients at home, so I took what I was missing. On the way to the checkout, I put a bottle of wine, some candles, and brownies in the cart.

***

While I was putting the groceries in the trunk, I heard a voice calling me. I turned around and came face to face with Scott Addams. My old classmate, the same one I had a couple of dates with, and the guy everyone in town thinks is my boyfriend. His brown eyes seemed less happy than the last time I had seen him.

"Hi, Scott! What's up?" I smiled, visibly uncomfortable.

"I'm fine. And you?" He answered briefly.

"Fine too, thanks."

"How's work going?"

"Good." I closed the trunk door. "Tomorrow an article about the festival is going to be published."

"I texted you the past weekend, but I guess you were very busy."

_ Shit _ . The message I hadn't answered.

"Oh..." I cleared my throat. "Sorry. It has been a crazy weekend; between the festival and working at the bar, I didn't have time for anything else."

"I imagined it," He approached me. "If you want, we can meet again this weekend."

I froze. What should I say now? I didn't want to hurt his feelings. I really liked Scott, but what I could have felt for him was gone with Clark's return.

"I can't. Sorry." I answered automatically.

"I understand." His lips formed a fine line. "Well, another weekend then."

I nodded and forced a smile.

"Have you heard already?" He asked, interested.

"Heard what?"

"Kent. He's back in town." Scott raised an eyebrow. "You two were very close in high school, weren't you?"

"Yes. I know." 

I was surprised that he was acting like that. He knows that Clark and I were always together in high school.

"I heard he almost got into a fight at your bar the other day." He laughed. "I guess he doesn't change."

His comment offended me to the core.

"As far as I know, Clark has never gotten into fights of his own will," I replied, clenching my fists, "anyway, he did it to defend me."

"So, you've seen him." He rolled his eyes. "What a coincidence!"

"What do you mean?"

"Just saying that he shows up after that reporter came around asking questions about him."

"Which reporter?"

"Lane. You know, the one from the Daily Planet."

"Lois Lane?"

"Honestly, Brooke, I'm surprised you don't know," he assured, ruffling his hair. "She has spoken with half the town. She was very interested in the high school bus accident. Curious, huh? As far as I know, she was seen walking into the Kent farm."

I felt the blood drained from my face. What was Lois Lane doing digging into Clark's past? That woman had multiple Pulitzer prizes and only wrote colossal news. Did that mean that she had discovered him? That she already knew his secret?

"I ..." I couldn't find the words because I didn't know what to say. "I have to go. See you." I said before getting into the car in a hurry without giving him enough time to respond.

I drove home deep in my thoughts, which right now were like a swarm of bees. It bothered me so much that Lois had been asking questions about Clark. She had come into his house, and he hadn't told me. Why? What reason did Clark have for hiding it from me? Was that what he would explain to me in the last notebook?

***

Something inside me told me to read Clark's last year before talking to him, and without realizing it, my brain had brought me to the lake instead of home. I turned off the engine, grabbed my bag, and headed to our place. I sat under the tree, took out the book, and began to read at full speed.

During the time I was reading until my cell phone rang, I was hallucinating. Clark's last year had been the busiest of all. My heart stopped when I had read how he almost drowned after saving some employees from an oil rig. I felt jealous of his work colleague at the bar, who used to smile at him and refer to him by affectionate names. While reading the Alaska part, I had to open and close the notebook several times. It was incredible. How Clark saved Lois? Had he cauterized her wound with his own eyes? With his eyes??? That cleared up one question, Clark and Lois knew each other, and they had to be close enough for her to visit his home.

At that moment, my cell phone rang, and I couldn't continue reading. I saw Clark's name on the screen and considered whether to answer or not. I stood up and picked up the phone but didn't say anything.

...

"Brooke?"

"What do you want?"

"I'm at your door."

I pulled the cell phone away from my ear to check the time. 18.00.  _ Shit _ .

"Brooke, is everything okay?"

"No."

I was in a mess, and I wanted to finish reading to understand him before seeing him.

"Where are you?" His voice sounded anxious.

"I'm in the lake."

I heard a deafening noise and had to hold the phone away from my ear as if there was interference. I put the phone to my ear again, and then I heard Clark's voice behind me.

"Brooke?"

I turned slowly, still with my phone in hand, and found myself face to face with Clark. His pretty blue eyes shone with the evening light, but his lips weren't smiling like every time he saw me. He took a step in my direction, and I took another step back. His eyebrows drew together.

"What's wrong?"

"This," I said as I raised the notebook in the air, "Lois. Lane. What do you have with her?"

"What?"

"I know you rescued her. I just read it. The reporter you mention from the Daily Planet... is her, right? And she knows who you are."

Clark remained silent.

"Of course, she knows." I sighed. "I thought only your mother and I knew. And now I find out that Lois knows it before me, have you also slept with her?" I asked, unable to contain my temper.

"What? Where did you get that idea?" He looked confused.

"Scott told me people saw her coming into your house."

"Scott?"

"Yes."

"Brooke, I can explain it to you." He approached me again, and I stepped back.

"I don't need you to explain anything to me. I'm an idiot because when Scott told me that Lane came here to ask questions about you, I was scared for you, thinking that she would expose you and that you would be one of her amazing stories. Still, something has prevented me from calling you directly. Something told me that I need to read first. And now it turns out that I was wrong and that you know her. Very well." My voice broke.

"I saved her life in Alaska and didn't see her again until last week."

"Until last week here, in Smallville? If she has entered your house, it means that she knows your mother, right?"

"Yes."

I didn't know what to do. I didn't know Lois personally, but I had seen her on tv many times. She was gorgeous and always wore stilettos.

I nodded, twisting my mouth.

"What are you thinking?" He wanted to know.

"Nothing." I shook my head. "Many things. I don't know."

He approached me, and I didn't move away. Like every time he was close to me, my heart almost leaped out of my chest.

"Okay, tell me all those things you're thinking. One by one, and together we're going to clear this." He assured me, placing a lock of hair behind my ear."

"How did you cauterize her wound? Show it to me."

I wanted to see that part of Clark that I hadn't seen yet, but Lois did. Jealousy twisted my heart a little. We stared at each other for a few seconds.

"Are you sure?"

"I want to see it."

Clark walked away from me a little. He closed his eyes, and when he opened them, they were no longer blue. I was unable to speak. This power was very different from the others I had seen. Clark looked like a totally different person with red eyes. It could even be said that he looked menacing.

He focused his gaze on the tree in front of him, and a thin branch began to burn, then snapped and fell to the ground. He stepped on it a couple of times to prevent the fire from spreading. He turned to look at me, his blue eyes clouded when he saw my shocked face.

"Now you're afraid of me?" He asked, hurt.

"I'm not afraid of you."

That was true. I wasn't afraid of him. Indeed, I was still hallucinating because I thought nothing could surprise me anymore, but I was not scared of him.

"So, what are you thinking about now?"

"Did you come last week to see Lois?"

He nodded.

"When?"

"On Tuesday."

"But you came back on Wednesday. I saw you walk in the door carrying a bag, and you hugged your mother as if you had just arrived."

"I came the day before to talk to Lois. I found her at my father's grave. She wants to reveal my story and publish it in the Daily Planet." He was silent and observed me before continuing. "On Wednesday, I conventionally returned by bus so as not to arouse suspicion."

"Have you come back for her?"

"What? No." He paused. "I've come back to you because now I know who I am, and I know what I want. I already told you." He made a pause. "I was going to come back anyway."

"But Lois …"

"Is just a friend."

"Sure," I said, turning my back to him.

I had him in front of me in less than a second.

"Are you jealous?"

"Jealous?" I laughed bitterly. "Why should I be jealous?"

"Exactly. There's no reason to be jealous."

"Of course not. It is not enough that a stunning woman with a great career and a lot of awards knows your secret, and that she found out before me." I was furiously pacing from side to side as I spoke.

"What's the matter with all of that?" Clark interrupted.

"It matters because I don't understand why you haven't told me before."

"I haven't told you because the conversation hasn't come out."

"Then, why don't you mention her name in the notebook? Didn't you want me to know?"

"I didn't think it was relevant."

"Okay, and what relationship do you have with her? Is she going to publish your story?" My cheeks felt hot. I was so angry that I felt like I was a boiling pot. "I still don't understand."

"I have no relationship with her. I've seen her twice in my life." He explained calmly. "She wants to tell my story, but I don't want her to, and I think she's going to respect it."

I nodded a couple of times. Since when did an unscrupulous reporter respect the decisions of others? She could win a ton of awards if she published Clark's story.

"And what was she doing at your home?" I couldn't help asking.

"She came looking for me and met my mother. She, of course, didn't tell her anything. Just, that night I called my mom to tell her that I was thinking of coming back and before I could, she told me that a reporter from the Daily Planet was asking questions about me. I had no choice but to act on the matter before she asked half the town, but I think I was a little late."

I nodded.

"Scott has told me that she asked all the people... but she hasn't approached me." I stared at the ground.

"When have you been with him?" His voice sounded concerned, and I looked up.

"I saw him after work."

"What else has he told you?"

"He asked me if we could go on a date again for the weekend, and if I had found out that you were in town."

Clark's jaw clenched.

"And are you going to meet him?" He asked, swallowing hard.

"Are you going to meet Lois?"

"No."

"Good," I replied with a severe gesture. "What's going on?"

"I think I'm jealous." He blew out a breath. "Since you mentioned Scott, I have a very unpleasant feeling in my stomach. The same I had when my mother told me the other day that she thought you were dating him. It annoys me that he asked you if you saw me."

"Why?"

"Because I've always had the feeling that we both knew how the other felt about you."

I nodded. My anger had evaporated a bit. I could completely empathize with him for how he felt because I felt the same way since I had closed the notebook.

"Well, I told him I couldn't meet him." I took a step in his direction. "And he knows I've seen you because he knows about the bar fight. He told me that it was curious that you returned to town just when Lois had been asking questions and that they had seen her entering your house. Also, he wasn't surprised that you had gotten into a fight as soon as you arrived, which seems to be that you do not change." I pursed my lips.

"And what did you say to him?"

"I told him that you never started fights at school and that you had done it to defend me." I paused before continuing. "The truth is that his insinuation has pissed me off a lot. I wanted to punch him." I confessed.

"You haven't changed a bit."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because I think you are still willing to face anyone who messes with me." Clark approached me.

I raised my head to answer him because he was too close.

"Of course," I assured him. "You would have done the same for me."

"Yes. Is there anything else you want to clarify with me to stop being angry?"

"I don't want any more secrets, Clark."

He nodded.

"Actually, the thing with Lois is explained in the notebook, just a little later. I wrote the last page last Tuesday night before I saw you."

"I was jealous," I commented, turning my face.

"Why?" He put his hand under my chin and turned my head to look at him. "I only have eyes for you."

"For many things, starting because she has known your secret before me."

"But that was because I had to save her life, Brooke. Otherwise, she would have died."

"I know. It annoys me that she got here pulling strings... I don't know that woman is famous for getting everything she wants. Surely she has a large mansion in Metropolis where she will have all his awards placed, while I…"

"Brooke. Stop. I don't want you to finish that sentence." He stared at me, and all the words I wanted to say to him were erased from my brain. "I already told you. I've been in love with you for so long that I can't remember a time in my life when I wasn't. I don't care about her mansion and her awards. She is not you."

"And what about the girl from the bar?"

"Chrissy?"

"I don't know her name, but for that girl, you unloaded your anger by destroying a truck. It should be important to you. And you describe her as a sweet and loving person." I whispered.

"I didn't vent my anger for her. It was because of what they had done to her. I can't bear to see men taking advantage of women, and I can't get standstill. I'm not going to stand still anymore."

"Okay."

"Brooke." He held my face between his hands gently. "I love you. It has always been you." Then he leaned down and kissed me with such tenderness that I could feel how anger, jealousy, and all the unpleasant sensations were fading away. "Is the pajama party still on?" He asked with a smile when he pulled away.

"Yes, but I want to finish reading the notebook first."

"Together."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! I'm here again. I have written another long chapter, as you have been able to read, I am already introducing things from the movie Man of steel, like the arrival of Lois. And we all know what happens on the day of the football match: Zod is coming!!
> 
> I hope you liked the chapter, as always I would love to read your opinion.
> 
> PS: I imagine Scott as Alex Pettyfer.
> 
> Also if someone want to correct my mistakes I'll really appreciate it!
> 
> PS2: I have a few images that I'd use for inspiration. If someone wants to see it just let me know and I'll try to add them to the next chapters.


	13. S means hope

Clark and I went to my place separately because he had left something in his house and wanted to stop by to pick it up. When I parked the car, he was already waiting for me, sitting on the porch steps. I got out of the car, grabbed my bag, and headed for the door, shaking my head. 

"Hello." He greeted me with an innocent smile.

"Hi," I answered, passing by. "Do you have everything you need?" I asked as I opened the door and entered the house. "Braggart." I laughed very softly.

Clark came in behind me. In one quick movement, he closed the door and leaned me against it before kissing me.

"Now, I do have everything I need," he replied against my mouth before joining his lips to mine again.

"What was that so important that you forgot?" I wanted to know when he pulled away.

"This," he handed me a bag. "My mother made a strawberry cake for you. It was your favorite, right?" 

"Have you told your mother about me?" I narrowed my eyes.

"Yeah?" Clark scratched the back of his neck, as he always did when he wasn't sure about something.

"And what exactly did you tell her?"

"I told her that I love you." He answered naturally.

The butterflies in my stomach formed a hurricane with their flapping. I took the cake from his hands and walked into the kitchen with Clark following me. I put it in the fridge, turned to face him, and crossed my arms.

"And what did she say about that?"

"She wants you to come home for dinner on Sunday."

" _ Kent _ , we only had a couple of dates, and do you want to introduce me to your mother?" I asked in a tone of mock surprise. "Don't you think it's a bit early to get into your family?"

"You know what? I have the feeling that I have known you all my life," he took a step in my direction, "and I think my mother is going to adore you."

I couldn't help but laugh. I liked the teenage flirting we had. It was as if I had forgotten my favorite book entirely and was rereading it and discovering all the new things that I had missed the first time.

"I would love to, but I have to work. In fact, I have a double shift because there is a football match." I twisted my face. I wouldn't say I liked game nights because I would not stop for a second, and there was always a drunk guy who wanted to bother me.

"It's true, Kansas plays on Sunday. Can you come in for lunch then?" Clark flashed me his perfect smile.

"I don't know." I bit my lip. "I'm meeting Jamie for breakfast and yoga practice."

"Yoga? You haven't told me that."

"We started two years ago."

"Okay. Well, if after that you have time and you want to come and have a coffee with us, tell me."

"Why are you so excited about this? I've already eaten at your house a thousand times. With you and without you." I added. "The last few months, I've spent a lot of time with your mother."

"I suppose it's for the same reason that you were very excited to go to a lake with me, to which we have been many times together. It's all new and familiar at the same time. And I really want you to come... if you want, I don't want to push you."

Clark seemed overly excited by the idea, and I understood correctly what he meant by the sense of novelty and familiarity at the same time.

"Okay," I agreed. "I'll go."

Clark lifted me into the air so quickly that I didn't have time to react. When I could focus my vision, I met his bright eyes.

"You are taking too much advantage of your qualities. You know that, right?"

Clark smiled at me and nodded.

"I feel free. Now, I don't have to hide with you." He carefully placed me on the floor. "Shall we make dinner?"

"I left the groceries in the car." I cursed.

"I'll take it, don't worry."

When Clark came back into the kitchen carrying the bags, I couldn't help but say to him:

"You have taken too long."

To which he responded with a laugh.

We cooked dinner together, and when we put the chicken in the oven, we sat on the couch. We had 25 minutes to read. When I had read five pages, the notebook almost fell from my hands.

"You can fly?" I screamed.

He made an affirmative sound.

"No." I shook my head.

"Yes."

"Wait," I said, getting up. "Fly, fly?" I made an insufficient gesture with my hands that imitated the flapping of a bird.

"What is fly, fly?" He asked, amused.

"Seriously." I jumped. "Fly? How much? How? Really?"

"I don't know yet. I started testing my limits recently."

"That is awesome! Can I see it?"

"You can fly with me if you want."

"Oh my gosh! Okay, let's go!" I said, pulling his hand to get up.

"We can't go now, there is still too much light, and someone could see me. Also, the oven is about to beep."

"Oh. Yes. You're right." I tried to calm down. "It seems incredible to me. So," I commented, "is your planet called Krypton?"

He nodded.

"And your father left you a special suit with an S."

He nodded again.

"An S that means hope in your world." I corroborated.

"The S is the symbol of my house, of the  _ El _ family."

"The symbol of your house? It all sounds ancient."

"Yes," he nodded. "I guess."

"Can I see the suit?" I asked with a huge smile and looked at him with pleading eyes.

He shook his head, but he looked amused.

"Give me a second," he answered, standing up.

Clark disappeared and appeared exactly a second later. I brushed the hair from my face, which had flown with his movement, and when I opened my eyes, I couldn't believe what I was seeing. In front of me was Clark, but a different Clark than the one I knew. His hair was perfectly slicked back, and his face was severe. A blue suit replaced his shirt and jeans with red and gold details, made of a perfectly suitable material for his skin. He was wearing a red cape, the big S at his chest took all my attention. His muscles were more evident than ever. The whole outfit made him look too imposing. Did it make any sense that the person in front of me looked like Clark Kent and someone utterly new at the same time? I remembered what he had told me about his house's emblem, and I realized then that in front of me wasn't Clark Kent. Here was Kal-El. I can't help but go all over his body, and when I focused my gaze on his face again, he was asking me a thousand questions with his eyes, and I knew he was dying to know what I was thinking.

"You don't seem like you." That was all I answered.

"That's the idea," he replied.

"But at the same time, it's you. It's weird, but I like it. You are," I tried to find the right word," different." I approached him and touched the S on his chest with my hand. Although if he hadn't explained it to me, the meaning was beautiful, I would never have understood it. "Clark," I stopped my hand and rested it on his chest. "Should I call you Kal-El?"

"I don't know. How do you feel about it?"

"I feel that underneath all this appearance of an invincible man, there are still the eyes of Clark Kent, the kind boy from the farm. Kal-El seems made of steel, while Clark is sweet and has feelings." I looked up. "I would also like to know how you feel about it."

"I assure you that Kal-El is as in love with you as Clark is. They are two different parts of me, but I'm the same person. I've always been the same person, but before, I was scared of myself, and I was afraid to show the world my real me. I thought I had to hide, and now I don't feel that way. At least, not with you. With you, I can be myself."

"I know." I stood on tiptoe and kissed him. I shuddered at the touch of Clark's fingers on the skin of my cheeks. I pulled away and gently pushed him back, placing a hand on his chest.

"Can I ask you something?" I questioned in a low voice.

"Sure. Whatever you want."

"Tonight, I would like…" I swallowed hard.

"Your heart is racing." He commented with inquiring eyes.

I bit my lip.

"Brooke?"

"I would like to make love with Kal-El," I admitted with a red, embarrassed face. There was much more on my request than I wished there was.

"What do you mean?" Clark cocked his head.

"I think Clark is too sweet and controls himself so much because he thinks that could crush me against the wall with a movement."

"That could happen, you've seen what I can do without wanting to." He replied in a severe tone. Some of the sparks went out when Clark shrugged.

"I know, but I trust you." I put my hands on his shoulders and pushed him closer to me. I kissed him intensely, and before I would like to, the beeping of the oven interrupted us. I backed away in annoyance and shuffled into the kitchen.

I turned off the oven and took out the chicken tray. I put it on the counter, and when I turned around, I hit Clark's chest, who had already changed his clothes again. I grumbled, and he laughed.

"What's wrong?" He raised his eyebrows.

"You didn't have to change so fast."

"The suit is not very comfortable for dinner."

I understood his point of view.

"Can you wear it back on later?" I felt perfectly how my cheeks were colored.

"It depends."

"On what?"

"Can you wear your yoga clothes?" His eyes burned as he approached me.

"Why?"

His lips curved into a slow smile.

"It seems fair that if I'm going to wear a tight suit just to satisfy your dark desires, you do the same for me."

"I think you've got me confused,  _ Kent _ . I'm starting to think that you aren't the sweet and innocent boy that I thought." I leaned my back against the counter and took a deep breath.

He finished approaching and put his hands on the counter, on both sides of my body, locking me in his arms. We observed each other with such intensity that it was odd that the kitchen didn't burst into flames. He leaned in to kiss me but instead, he whispered against my ear:

"I never said I was an innocent boy." He pressed his mouth against the skin of my neck, and I sank my fingers into his hips as I moaned. "But you like the idea," he murmured against my mouth, "admit it."

"Yes." I commented, moving away slightly." You're disconcerting. First, you lovingly ask me to go to dinner with your mother, and then, you make indecent proposals." The tension between us was more than palpable at the time.

Clark narrowed his eyes, lifted his hands to my hips, and in one quick movement sat me on the counter. "It's your fault for being so addictive." He said before joining his mouth to mine again.

* * *

I have done this cover. I hope you like it. It is the first one I do. As I said before, I picture Brooke as Diana, so here I leave you some more images that I use for inspiration.

I imagined them like these pictures in the first chapter when he arrives in Smallville.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Today I also update with a new chapter, it is not as long as the previous one. Things get a little "tense" between Clark and Brooke ;). And finally there's no more secrets between them. She has already discovered that he can fly, and has seen him wearing the superman suit. What do you think about her reaction? I hope you like it.


	14. Friday

It took me less time than usual to wake up that morning. When I delayed the alarm for another five minutes and turned around to escape from the light that was filtering through the window, I found myself in Clark's chest. It wasn't the first time we slept together, but it was the first time I woke up next to him.  
  
"Good morning." I stretched to see him better, and he gave me a soft kiss.  
  
"Good morning." He answered, smiling at me. Was it fair that since early in the morning, he was so handsome?  
  
I leaned against him and stroked his chest with my index finger. "Did you sleep well?" I wanted to know.  
  
"Yeah. You?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"What time do you have to leave to work?"  
  
"In an hour or so, but I'm considering pretending I'm sick and staying in bed with you."  
  
"You're too responsible to do that." Clark chuckled.  
  
"You're right. What is your plan today?"  
  
"I want to finish fixing some things on the farm. I guess that will take me all day."  
  
I yawned and thought about what he had just told me. Maybe I was still too asleep to understand him correctly.  
  
"Why don't you use your gifts to fix things faster?"  
  
"Because I've been educated to know that every effort has its reward and that it's satisfying to do things for yourself. I like to repair things." He declared. "What are you going to do?"  
  
"I was thinking of asking my boyfriend to pick me up for lunch before my shift at the bar starts, but I think he's too busy."  
  
Clark tensed, and I could feel him swallowing hard.  
  
"What did you just say?" He asked in a small voice.

  
"I said that I'd love to go to have lunch with my boyfriend, but sadly I think he has too many things to do on his farm."  
  
Clark rolled over and moved us both until he was on top of me.  
  
"Are you referring to me as your boyfriend?"  
  
"No," I shook my head slightly. "I'm referring to the other guy I've been seeing. The one who's hiding under the bed." I commented, rolling my eyes.  
  
His face clouded over, and he remained silent for a few seconds.  
  
"So," he paused, "am I your boyfriend?"  
  
"Clark, have I misinterpreted the signals?"   
  
"No, but I thought we would talk about it."  
  
"Yeah, my mouth was so busy last night kissing you," I answered, smiling.  
  
"I know," he said before stealing a kiss from me. "I was thinking of talking to you about this tonight at the lake, after showing you what it feels like to fly."

  
"Were you going to take advantage of your gifts to create the idyllic atmosphere to ask me out? You know that's not playing fair, right?"  
  
Clark laughed. "I'm perfectly aware of that." He leaned down and kissed my neck, causing me to squirm. "So, we're a couple now?" He whispered against my mouth.  
  
"I suppose. I mean, we've been seeing each other for a whole week, and we're talking all the time... I don't know."  
  
"Nothing you've read makes you want to rethink things?" Clark asked, leaning back next to me.  
  
"Well," I turned to look into his eyes, "I think we're going to have to talk about what you plan to do next. Because if you're planning to jump from ships to save people from oil platforms that are about to explode in the middle of the ocean, I think I'm going to be a little nervous." I confessed.  
  
Clark stared at me and remained silent.  
  
"It scares me that you're putting your own life at risk to save others." I continued. "If I'm honest, I think that a part of me is still assimilating that you're not a normal person and that you can do things that others cannot. And at the same time, it's as if a part of me had always known that there was something special about you, and this is the logical explanation for the strange things I'd seen. Clark reached for my hand and squeezed it gently. "I remember one day, after school, I went to look for you at your father's workshop. I arrived to see how Scott threw you to the ground and how Pete helped you up when everyone left. I walked over to talk to you but stayed at a safe distance while you talked to your father. I waited for you sitting on the ground, and I saw the metal fence completely bent. At first, I was surprised that it had been dented by your fall, but then, you came back, and you were so sad that it didn't seem appropriate to ask."  
  
As I spoke, Clark stroked my arm.  
  
"There's also the bus incident. When Pete and Lana claimed that they had seen you take the bus out of the water by hand, I wanted to think they were crazy. In fact, I was convinced that all Lana wanted was to get your attention. I think it was the first time that I got a little bit jealous, and that was actually the reason why I joined the cheerleaders later." I paused. "Do you remember the day we were riding a bike, and I fell?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"That day, and the other day at your mother's house when I got burned, did you use your superhuman speed to get closer to me? Because both times, I was surprised by how quickly you appeared next to me, but I assumed it was my hallucinations."  
  
"Yes," Clark said emphatically. "When something happens to you, I forget that I have to pretend to be a slow human. I don't think clearly in those moments." He confessed.

  
"Luckily, we live in a small town where the only thing you can die of is boredom, right?" We both laughed. "I keep assimilating everything but... I want to be with you."  
  
Clark let out all the air he was holding at once. From the wrinkle that formed between his eyebrows, he looked like he was frustrated.  
  
"What happens?"  
  
"Nothing."  
  
"Clark."

  
"I'm beginning to understand what you mean by thinking about what would have happened between us if we had done things differently. If I had trusted my instinct to tell you how I was feeling, maybe I wouldn't have felt so alone. I wanted to know who I was for you and me, but I think that the only one who cared about that was me from the beginning. I have the feeling that you don't care if my name is Clark Kent or Kal-El."  
  
"It's important to me because it's important to you. But no, I don't care what your name is. I believe that now you're free and more Clark than ever, and I want to continue knowing you. I don't know if the world is ready or not to see you do incredible things in a superhero suit, but I am."  
  
"Does that mean," It seemed like he was struggling to find the words "that I can take you downtown to dinner?"  
  
I suppressed a smile and nodded. His eyes seemed to get trapped by my gaze.  
  
"Despite what others think?"  
  
"Well, the whole town thinks I'm dating Scott. It's time to clear things up, right?"  
  
Instead of answering, Clark leaned over and pressed his lips to mine until the alarm sound again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back with another short chapter. I plan to write a chapter for each day of the weekend. Well, it seems that Brooke and Clark are finally an official couple. What do you think?
> 
> I'm so inspired after seeing the new Justice League trailer, Clark looks perfect :)
> 
> As always, I appreciate your love. Thanks for reading me.


	15. Saturday

I parked a bit far from the Kent farm because I couldn't help but get nervous while driving. Clark was going to make the "official presentation" with his mother. A part of me knew there was no reason to be afraid because I already knew Martha. The last two years, we had spent a lot of time together, and I had the feeling that she was the mother I never had and that I made her feel a little less lonely. The other part of me was terrified. It was the first time that someone was going to introduce me as his girlfriend to his mother. In Metropolis, I had tried dating a couple of guys, but it didn't work out, and it never got so far as to meet his family. I took a deep breath and shook my head. It is just Martha. At that moment, my cell phone vibrated, and I saw Clark's name appeared on my screen.

"Hi," I answered when I picked up.

"Is everything alright?" He sounded concerned.

"Why do you ask? "

"I assumed something was wrong because you've parked very far, and you've been sitting there for seven minutes, tapping the wheel. "

I looked up and saw him, in the distance, on his porch looking in my direction. I bit my lip when he started walking towards me.

"I'm going to pick you up," he announced.

"Do you want me to hang up?" I asked in a low voice.

"No. I like to hear your voice. In fact, I'm going to walk at normal speed so you can tell me why it took you so long to come over."

"The truth is I didn't know what to wear."

"You didn't know what to wear to come to my house?" He chuckled.

"Exactly." I wanted to laugh too, but I was still nervous.

Clark walked over to my car and put his cell phone in his pocket. Then, he opened the door and stared at me.

"Hello." He smiled at me.

"Hello."

"Shall we?" He waved his hand.

"Yes. I mean, no. Aren't you nervous?" My voice sounded anxious.

"No, I'm thrilled." He answered calmly.

"Why?"

"Really? Do you need to ask? You come to my house as my girlfriend, to have lunch with my mother. This moment is too beautiful to be really happening."

"But what if your mother thinks I'm not too good for you?"

"Brooke, my mother loves you. You know that as well as I do."

"Okay."

"Okay. Now, can I kiss you?"

"Really? Do you need to ask?" I rolled my eyes.

I grabbed the bag, and before I could put both feet on the ground, Clark had his hands on my hips, and he was kissing me. I kissed him back, and when it started to get intense, I pulled away.

"No. No." I tried to move away while he kissed me again. "Stop. Your mother."

As we walked toward his house together, Clark took my hand.

"Stop smiling so much. It's irritating," I commented.

"We're walking hand in hand for the first time, and I'm going to smile until my cheeks hurt."

I rolled my eyes. When I stepped onto the first step of the porch, the front door swung open for Martha.

"Sweetheart," she said, spreading her arms and hugging me. "I'm pleased to see you again."

"Me too," I replied, returning the hug.

"You look so beautiful." Martha pulled away and took me gently by the shoulders.

"Thank you."

"I'm happy for you!" Martha placed her hands on my cheeks. "Oh dear, I knew you would accept my boy!" Tears welled up in her eyes.

"Hey, mom." Clark stepped forward and grabbed his mother by the arm. "Don't overwhelm her. She just arrived." Clark looked at me with an apology in his eyes as he dragged his mother inside. I followed them and closed the door behind me.

"Martha, thank you very much for the muffins and the cake. Here are the clean containers." I handed her the bag.

"You're welcome, darling." Martha took the bag and began to put things in their place. Then she turned around and looked at her son. "Clark, take Brooke's purse, and why haven't you offered her anything to drink yet?"

"Yes, mom, sorry." Clark walked over to me, and I watched as he carefully took my bag from my shoulder to hang it on the coat rack in the hall. Then, he pulled the chair aside for me to sit down, all of that in a second.

"What do you want to drink?"

"Water."

"Honey, don't you want lemonade? I just made it." Martha commented as she took three glasses from the cupboard.

"Okay"

Clark left a full glass in front of me.

"Brooke, I'd thought of making Ranch eggs, but if you want, I have also bought steaks, and the potatoes are in the oven. I've also made sour cream pie and coffee just the way you like it."

"Martha, it wasn't necessary, whatever is fine for me."

"I've already told her, but as you know, she's so stubborn," Clark replied.

Martha walked over to her son and hugged him around the waist.

"I've been waiting for this moment for so many years, son, and I want everything to be perfect."

"I don't think you've been waiting for her longer than I have, mom."

I blushed.

"Brooke, what do you prefer?"

"The eggs are fine, Martha. Thank you very much."

Martha turned her back on us and went to beat the eggs while muttering: "oh my children, so much suffering, so long apart."

"Ignore her," Clark whispered.

"Are you sleeping in your room?" I asked, interested.

Clark nodded.

"Is it still the same as it was when you left?"

"Have you not entered all this time?"

"No. Too painful."

Clark frowned, and I reached for his hand.

"Can I go up to see it later?"

"Okay, although I'm ashamed that you relate me now with my room of when I was 18 years old. You know, I still have the same Kansas City Chiefs posters hanging on the walls."

"As if they stopped liking you. Surely you are looking forward to seeing the game tomorrow."

"True," he chuckled, "Although I would like to see it with you."

"I have to work, and the bar will be crowded. I won't be able to look at you for more than three seconds. It's better that you see it here with your mother."

Clark nodded.

"Can I help you, Martha?" I asked, raising my voice.

"No, sweetie. Clark, start setting the table and take the potatoes out of the oven, please."

"Yes, mom."

My stomach clenched. This was just like being transported ten years earlier, with Martha and Clark setting the table for me and not letting me do anything.

Martha placed a massive platter of eggs in the middle of the table that will feed half the town and sat down. She didn't stop smiling at me as Clark filled the plates.

"Well, sweetie, how is Jamie? Clark, have you seen Jamie yet?" His mother asked him.

"Yes."

At that moment, I remembered the welcome my sister had given him days ago.

"I'm sure you hardly recognize her; when you left, she was a baby," Martha replied. "And your sister," she looked at me, "does she know that you two... well, I don't know how you, young people, define relationships now. When Jonathan got the first date with me, he had to ask my father for permission."

"Mom!"

"Well, the truth is that I haven't seen her much this week, but tomorrow I'm going to have breakfast with her, and I guess I'll tell her then."

"Good! I wasn't happy like this for a long time. My boy is back, and he's finally bringing a girl home. I have to admit I was a bit scared when Lois Lane came around saying she was friends with Clark, but I've always known my boy would end with you."

"Mom, I'm almost 30. Can you stop calling me  _ my boy _ in front of my girlfriend?"

"You will always be my child, Clark."

"By the way, I'm sorry I left the other day," I said.

"Don't worry, sweetie, and I was also in shock. I didn't expect to see Clark around here. Thank you for accepting him. He has always been terrified that others will not understand him. Still, I think that, in reality, he was terrified of losing you. I love you, darling."

"I love you too, Martha," I replied.

"Promise me, next time you'll bring Jamie with you. I haven't seen that girl in a couple of weeks."

"Sure." I smiled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really wanted to write this chapter because I have a lot of affection for the character of Martha Kent. I like to think that she knows them so well, that she always knew they would end up together.
> 
> What do you think?


	16. Sunday

On Sunday morning, Jamie woke me up by knocking on my door loudly.

"Brooke! Are you alone? Can I come in?" She continued knocking on the door. "Brooke? I'm afraid to enter because I don't know if you're alone or not."

"I'm coming!" I screamed sleepily. "Just give me two minutes."

"I'll wait for you downstairs."

I turned around looking for Clark but found his side of the bed empty. Surprised, I reached out to grab the phone from the bedside table. I had a message.

Clark 06.50 am:  _ "Good morning, I didn't know exactly what time you're meeting your sister, so I left before she arrives. I can't wait to see you tonight. I love you." _

Brooke 9.00 am: " _ Good morning. I would have liked a goodbye kiss. I can't wait to see you either. _ "

I got up, put on my yoga clothes, brushed my teeth, and went downstairs. I found Jamie on the back porch, spreading the yoga mats.

"Good morning. Where is the farmer?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

I rolled my eyes.

"Good Morning. He left before you arrived."

"Is he scared of me?" Jamie chuckled.

"After how you treated him the other day, I wouldn't be surprised if he is," I replied, crossing my arms. "Okay, shall we start?"

"I have planned the perfect morning." She smiled at me. "What do you think if we have a light breakfast, you tell me everything, we practice yoga, and then we get a well-deserved brunch?"

"I think it's a great idea."

"Well, let's go. I've already made the coffee." Jamie grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the kitchen. "Come on, can't you walk faster?"

"I just woke up,  _ silly _ ."

My sister had prepared a small breakfast, which consisted of toast for each one and coffee. I sat down, and before I finished taking a sip of the drink, she was already looking at me with narrow eyes.

"What happens?"

"Start telling me everything from the beginning." She answered. "And don't keep anything from me."

I took a deep breath and began to tell her more or less how my days had been since Clark's return. I told her everything, except the little detail that my boyfriend wasn't from this planet and that he could also do things that other mortals couldn't. If it had taken me a bit to understand the situation, I didn't want to imagine what it would cost Jamie. When I finished speaking, I take a sip of the coffee, and it was already cold.

"I'm surprised you don't say anything," I added, looking at Jamie.

"I've so many things to say that I don't even know where to start. So let's see if I understand correctly… Martha and Jonathan aren't Clark's birth parents, and he left ten years ago to find his birth parents because he had realized that he was in love with you, and he wanted to know who he was before confessing his feelings to you, right?

I nodded. "Yeah, more or less."

"Let's see... he still seems like a real idiot to me for being the cause of my sister's pain. I mean, you kissed him before he left, and he decided to leave anyway, but I remember how we felt when Dad died. It was horrible. So I can imagine Clark went through the same thing. He wasn't in his right mind. I can't say I understand how Clark acted, but now I think I understand the situation a little better. If what worries you is that I'm going to call him  _ farmer  _ or insult him every time he walks in, you can relax. I'm not going to do it. It has been a long time since you walked through life as if the ground was full of rose petals, so I'm not going to be the one who comes between you and your happiness."

"Thank you." I smiled.

"But no more lies, please."

"No more lies." I agreed.

"Otherwise, how was your weekend? Well, actually, I know exactly what you've been doing. You have that characteristic glow on your face from having sex."

"Jamie!" my skin turned pink.

"What? Please, it's great for your health. I have done it with Liam, and it has been great after all week suffering from my period while watching romantic movies. We haven't done much beyond having dinner and going to the movies, and you?"

"On Friday, Clark came to dinner, and yesterday I went to his house for lunch with his mother."

"Well, I'd ask how it was, but Mrs. Kent loves you, so there's no need. Although it must have been weird, right? I mean, she's your mother-in-law now. Officially.  _ Ugh,  _ that makes the farmer my brother-in-law."

"Can you call him by his name, please?"

"Only if you tell me what you call him:  _ honey, bear, sweetie _ ... which one?"

"I call him Clark."

"Come on! You finally get to be with the love of your life, and you call him  _ Clark _ ? I'm bored!" Jamie finished her toast before speaking again. "Has he already told you what his intentions are with you?"

"His intentions with me?"

"Yes. Is Clark planning to stay here? Is he going to leave? Are your plans to leave town still standing when I graduate? Because I'm not going to let you change your plans for him... and if he leaves again... he better not come back."

"Well, I think he's going to stay awhile, and I… I don't know. We haven't talked about the future yet. It's too soon, Jamie. I don't have any expectations right now. I haven't considered the future. I haven't even told him yet that I love him or that I'm in love with him because I don't know how I feel. It's all new and different and familiar at the same time. I don't know."

"I think you know perfectly how you feel. You just said that you are in love with him."

"A part of me is still scared that he could leave again, and I feel terrible for thinking that way. I don't think he will hurt me, but it is all very recent. Maybe I'm not brave enough."

"Brooke, you need to stop overthinking. It would be best if you acted how you feel. If you want to tell Clark that you love him, tell him, and if not, you don't have to. You will know when the time comes."

"I've never said I love you to anyone, Jamie. And I don't know if it's sad because I'm almost 30 years old or... I don't know. It's just that I've never been able to say it back to anybody. Because the image of Clark would always appear in my mind because, deep down, I knew that I was entertaining myself with other guys. How long did it take you to tell Liam?" 

"I don't think the same time rules apply to my relationship with Liam as yours with Clark. Also, I don't think many people can say they've been in love with the same guy for half their lives." 

I shrugged. "What do you think then?"

"I think it doesn't matter what I think. What matters is what you think. You know perfectly how you feel, and these days, in the little time that I've seen you, it seems to me that you are happy. It has been a long time since you felt like doing anything else than photographs and being in front of the computer. So trust your heart, and everything will work out."

I nodded and was suddenly a little less happy than when I had awakened. "Since when have you become the wise sister?"

"Let's go to the porch, where a yoga session awaits us."

***

I was walking into the bar counter carrying a whole tray of dirty glasses when everyone began to complain loudly. Surprised I left the tray on one table, I turned around and saw that the game was not being broadcast on TV, but on the news.

"What's going on?" Asked my boss.

I left the bar counter, and I stood in front of the TV; what I saw left me horrified. They were images of a spacecraft coming to earth under the sign of a UFO detected.

What?

I didn't have time to keep thinking because the power went out, and people started to get a little nervous.

"Brooke!" I heard my boss yell. "Come with me to get the flashlights! Relax everyone. It's just a power outage."

I froze when the bar screens came on with a strange sound. I turned on my feet and came back closer, suddenly there was silence in the bar. A voice began to repeat: "Y _ ou are not alone _ ." It was impossible to recognize the voice because of the interference, but it was clearly a man's voice. The words were written on the screen.  ** You. Are. Not. Alone.  ** Was he referring to Clark? Unconsciously I reached into my pocket to take out my phone and saw that the message was playing there as well. And then, a shadow appeared on the screen. You are not alone... My name is General Zod. I come from a world far from yours. I have journeyed across an ocean of stars to reach you. For some time, your world has sheltered one of my citizens. I request that you return this individual to my custody. For unknown reasons, he has chosen to keep his existence a secret from you. He will have made efforts to blend in. He will look like you, but he is not one of you. To those of you who may know of his current location: the fate of your planet rests in your hands.  ** To Kal-El ** , I say this:  ** surrender within 24 hours, or watch this world suffer the consequences. ** "

Clark! I have to find him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry it took me so long to publish the new chapter. Here it is. I hope you like it. Tell me what you think, that encourages me to continue writing. I'm going to start a writing course in English, I hope my level improves soon :)


	17. Stay with me

As everything returned to normal at the bar, I headed straight to the bathroom. I was too nervous and needed a minute to calm myself down and call Clark without people's noise. I locked myself in a cubicle and called Clark, who answered me quickly.

"Brooke, are you okay?" His voice was anxious.

"Clark!" I sighed in relief.

"Are you okay?" He asked again.

"Clark, that message on the TV..."

"I've seen it." He paused. "Are you okay?"

"I'm scared."

"Relax, everything is going to be fine." He promised. 

I was surprised by his tranquility, especially compared to my nervousness. I started to breathe hard as I realized the obvious: Clark was in danger, and there was nothing I could do to help him.

"Brooke, you're breathing very agitated. Where are you?"

"I'm still at the bar. I'm in the bathroom."

I heard him say something to his mother and then interference on the other end of the line, like when he called me while I was at the lake.

"Clark?" I called him after the annoying sound stopped.

"I'm here. At the bar."

"Okay. I'm going outside." I hung up the phone and opened the door to meet Clark. I froze at first because I didn't expect to see him inside the girls' bathroom. A second later, I threw myself into his arms without thinking, and he held me tightly against his chest.

"Clark."

"I'm here."

"Clark. Clark." I started hyperventilating. I felt his hands on my shoulders as he gently pulled me away.

"Brooke, I need you to breathe slowly." He leaned down to face me. "You have to focus on your breathing. I don't want you to have an anxiety attack." 

I shook my head. I couldn't relax. I just couldn't. "No. No. I know you." I said, noticing how an unpleasant sensation spread through my chest. "You're going to give yourself up, right?"

He remained silent. When I realized that he wasn't going to answer, I pulled away. I took a step back and went back into the bathroom, I tried to close the door, but his hand stopped me.

"Get out of here." I sobbed as I pushed the door with all the strength I had. The door didn't move an inch. I was breathing so hard that I had the feeling that at any moment, I would be out of air. I wanted to sit in a corner and scream until I got the fear out of my body.

Clark pushed a little and opened the door. "Brooke." His eyes were so sad that I had to look away. 

"Go away, please. "I wiped my tears as best I could.

"I'm not going to leave." He promised firmly.

"Why not?" I returned my gaze to him.

"You're my girlfriend, and you're crying, and it's killing me to see you like this." He took a step to get into the bathroom with me and turned immediately to close the door in a quick movement. "I'm not going to leave you here." He repeated, approaching me.

Now with him in the bathroom, space seems smaller than before.

"I know it's a matter of time, and you've already decided it. You're going to abandon me and surrender to Zod." I shook my head and turned my back on him. It was unbearable to think that I was going to lose him  **_ again _ ** .

"Hey. Honey." He rubbed my shoulders gently. "I'm not going to abandon you."

I turned around to face him. "So you're staying in Smallville?" I asked, hopefully.

He took a deep breath before saying the words that I didn't want to hear:

"You know I can't do that."

"So, I was right. You're going to abandon me." I could feel my eyes burning. " ** You promised me ** ... You promised me that you were going to stay with me." I accused him, losing my patience.

"I'll find a way to get back to you." He whispered. "You have to understand it."

"What?" I couldn't believe it. "No. No! You're not going to leave me." I yelled.

"Brooke, this is bigger than us. He has threatened to destroy the earth. I'll go stop him and come back to you. I promise. You have to understand me," he begged. "Please."

I understood that Clark would leave me at that precise moment, and it didn't matter what I had to say. He was determined. I saw the same determination in his eyes as eight years ago.

"Your promises are worthless."

His face wrinkled in pain. I knew that I wasn't rational, but did he not understand me? What did he expect me to do? It was the first time that I was in this kind of situation. What should you do when your boyfriend tells you that he will surrender in what seems like a more than certain death?

"That's not fair."

"Neither is it that you come to make promises that you cannot keep. I've been through this before, and I know how it ends."

"No. This time it's different. I'm not going to leave completely. I already told you, if I leave, my heart stays here with you."

"What I say doesn't matter to you, does it?"

"Brooke, you have to try to understand it from my point of view."

I shook my head and gritted my teeth.

"I don't want to understand it. What I want is for you to come home to sleep with me. I was hoping you could tell me that nothing is wrong and that everything will be fine. I want to wake up tomorrow and have you by my side, and above all, this has all been a nightmare."

"Everything's going to be fine," he said calmly, "but I can't do that, Brooke. I can't stay here when Zod has threatened to destroy this planet. Our house. The world where you live. Where would that leave me? It would be very selfish of me, not to mention that I couldn't live if something happened to you.

I remained silent, understanding everything he just told me. It was the obvious answer, and of course, I understood his point of view, but that did not make my heart hurt any less.

"And what about me? Do you think that I can live in a world where you are not?"

He snorted through his nose and said nothing for a few seconds.

"At least you'd be alive. I couldn't forgive myself if something happened to you."

"Since when are you assuming that one of us is going to die? Is that what you think is going to happen? Do you think Zod is going to kill you, and do you plan to surrender to him anyway?"

At that moment, I couldn't contain my pain anymore. I was shaking violently as sobs tore through my chest. I couldn't get the idea out of my head that I had less than twenty-four hours with Clark.

"Brooke," he caught my face in his hands. I felt his hard and warm skin against mine. "Please." He rested his forehead on mine and closed his eyes. When he opened them again, they were shining with tears just like mine. "Sweetheart." He pulled away slightly to observe me better. "I think you're having an anxiety attack. Please, I need you to focus on your breathing. It would help if you calmed down. You have learned breathing exercises in your yoga class, right?" 

It was hard for me to hear his voice over my crying.

"Brooke, I need you to breathe slowly and focus on your breathing. Stay here with me. Don't let your mind go out of this present." He said. "Let's breathe together, okay? I'm going to count the breaths." He paused. "I need you to be here with me, okay baby? Please," he begged.

I nodded.

"Okay, I'm going to count to ten, and you'll breathe in and out calmly with me."

Every time Clark asked me to, I breathed each, while he encouraged me with nice words like Good. You can get over it. That's my girl. I'm here with you. Focus on breathing.

And it worked.

"I'm proud of you." He smiled at me tenderly but with sadness still shining in his eyes. "Baby, tell me what you need. What can I do for you?"

"Stay with me." I implored, once again noticing the tears in my eyes. "Don't surrender. Please."

Clark took a deep breath and nodded.

"I'll stay with you." He agreed.

I took a step in his direction and hugged him tightly. "Don't do this to me again, please."

"I'm sorry."

"Me too." I rose into his arms until our lips touched. We kiss as we have never kissed before, like we never have to part again. And we continued until our tears mixed with our saliva, and we tasted the salty taste of our kiss. " ** I love you, Clark. ** "

Clark pulled away slightly and looked at me. His eyes seemed a little happier. "Can you say that again?

"I love you so much."

He hugged me so hard that my feet lifted off the ground. " ** I love you too, baby. ** "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! I'm sorry I couldn't update earlier, but I haven't had much time to write lately.
> 
> What did you think of this chapter? Brooke has finally told Clark that she loves him!!!! I know it was a bit sad, but I think it needed to happen this way. It is also the first time that Clark calls her by affectionate and loving nicknames.
> 
> I hope you liked it. 
> 
> Your kudos and reviews are appreciated. I remind you that English is not my mother tongue, if you see mistakes and want to tell me it will be great: D Thanks for reading.


	18. Clark's point of view.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter we will read from Clark's point of view.

** Clark P.O.V **

Brooke had been asleep for more than half an hour, and I couldn't stop looking at her because she was finally calm and resting. I carefully brushed away a lock of hair that had fallen over her face, and she sighed softly. I could spend my whole life without leaving my room to hear her sigh, but the problem was that I didn't even have 24 hours to be with her.

For the first time in a long time, I didn't know what I was supposed to do. On the one hand, I was clear about my duty: I should surrender myself to Zod to save this planet, but I felt that he would attack it anyway. On the other hand, it was Brooke and the promise I had made to her. After closing the bar, it hadn't been difficult for me to convince her that the safest thing for everyone was to sleep at my house, there I could protect her, and my mother and Jamie. She had accepted as she seemed willing not to separate from me for a second. Brooke was anxious about being away from her sister, who had also seen Zod's message and wanted to spend the night with her boyfriend. Brooke had understood her and given her permission. Her sister would come to my house at 9 a.m the next morning, and Brooke and I had agreed to tell her everything about me and my origins.

When we got home, we found that my mother was also a little nervous. Brooke was determined to watch the news because she was terribly afraid of seeing my face appear on the screen at any moment. Still, my mother, who was used to dealing with it since I was a kid, would not let her have the TV on. Besides, she also forced my girlfriend to eat, for which I will be eternally grateful.  _ "You have to eat because, with a full stomach, you will see things differently,"  _ my mother said to her.

After dinner, Brooke and I went upstairs. My feelings for her had been inside my chest for so long that I was still getting used to the fact that she really was my girlfriend. However, I felt that she was something more than that to me. It was funny that after so many years of friendship, I was ashamed of her seeing my room, which was the same as when I had left it years ago, with the Kansas City Chiefs posters hanging on the walls and the philosophy books stacked one on top of others. Since I had returned to Smallville, I had spent most of my time fixing things for my mother or with Brooke, and because of that, I hadn't had much time for anything else.

My mother had gone for a walk with the dog, which had given Brooke and me the privacy we needed to shower together. It was not the first time we did it, neither the first time we made love, but that night had been different from all the previous ones. Maybe because a part of me knew it was some farewell, or perhaps because Brooke had told me that she loved me. I had wanted to hear those words for so long that I had to ask her to repeat them to be the first time she said it. In the shower, Brooke had made me promise at least three times that I was not going to leave her. Of course, I had promised her all she wanted to hear because for me to continue in a world without her made no sense.

"You are mine in the same way that I am yours." She said, resting her hand on my chest. "You belong here with me."

I nodded, grabbing her hand. Hearing Brooke said those words made me feel the hope that the S on my suit symbolized. I need to find hope for life, for this world, for my mother, for Brooke, for myself, and humankind as well. 

She looked gorgeous with wet hair stuck to her head and sparkling eyes. I couldn't resist it, and I had to lean down to kiss her gently.

"I love you," I whispered as I picked her up to get her out of the bathtub. "I've always loved you." I continued as I left her on her feet again. "And I'll always love you," I affirmed before wrapping her body in the towel.

A while later, while we made love in my bed, she kept repeating that she loved me. It seems like now that she had finally said it out loud, she wasn't able to say anything else. Every time she told me that she loved me, my heart beat faster, and that gave me the strength and hope I was looking for.

"Clark. Faster." She moaned.

"I can't," I answered with a deep voice.

It was hard for me not to give my girl what she asked for, but I wanted our moment to last as long as possible. I tried to memorize her face and each one of her expressions. I was enchanted, seeing how she bit her lip and squeezed her eyes tightly.

"Clark, please." She said, opening her eyes and looking at me.

I shook my head and moved slowly over her. Brooke moaned loudly, which made me feel such a strong desire that I had to force myself to stop. I was afraid of not being able to control my force and hurt her.

"I'm sorry." She apologized, blushing.

I wrinkled my eyebrows and looked at her without understanding.

"I didn't want to be so loud," Brooke explained.

"I like to hear from you." 

"But your mother-"

"-don't worry," I interrupted her. "She hasn't come back yet."

"Why have you stopped then?" Brooke whispered against my lip.

"Because I like the noises you're making too much, and I'm afraid of losing control."

I heard perfectly how her breathing accelerated with my words, and I couldn't help but move again.

"Clark…" She gasped. "Clark." 

The pleasure of hearing her repeat my name was so good that I can not care about anything else. I was so focused on my girl that for a moment, I forgot that the world could be attacked at any moment.

She pulled my shoulders down gently and kissed me. I didn't stop moving slowly. I liked feeling her against my skin. I knew Brooke was close to finishing because her heart raced, and also, she accidentally dug her nails on my back. She was so gorgeous that my eyes were unable to look away from her face. Brooke arched her back and bit my lip hard as I moved quickly to give her all the pleasure she deserved. I joined her as she let herself go. She was saying my name. She was saying my name, and I couldn't stop repeating hers. After a few moments, our breathing started to even out. I felt worried because every time we made love, Brooke always kissed me, fell asleep, or chatted with me, but this time it was not like that. She was silent, and I waited patiently until I couldn't take it anymore. I needed to know what she was thinking. 

"Hey," I said, diffusing the silence. "I'm surprised you didn't laugh at my room." 

She blinked several times and inhaled deeply, "Why should I do it? I've seen it a thousand times."

"I know, but it's still the same as when I was 18 years old. Your room, for example, is different now." I replied, touching her back.

"All I've done is to remove the Orlando Bloom posters and change my bed for a king-size one." 

"Oh, god! I'd already forgotten that you were obsessed with him."

She hit me on the shoulder, and she didn't laugh as I expected.

"Brooke, what's wrong?" I felt the worry clench my guts.

"Well, in other situations, I would make a joke, but I don't feel like laughing right now."

"Why not?"

"I think… I'm a little afraid of being happy. I'm paralyzed with fear. It's like I can't enjoy this moment with you because it's like I'm stealing it. That's how I feel."

"What can I do to make you happy?" I asked her. I needed to see my girl's happy smile. I loved her so much that right now, that was the only thing that mattered to me.

"Nothing. I'm sorry to spoil the night."

"You're not spoiling the night. In fact, I'm happy right now."

"Why?" She asked, looking into my eyes.

"You told me you love me. I've waited so long to hear those words that I still can't believe it, even though you've repeated it to me several times."

"Yeah, I can't stop repeating it," Brooke whispered to herself more than anything. "I love you." 

"Also, I don't know if you've noticed, but you're in my bed naked." I winked at her. "Do you know how many times I've dreamed of this moment when I was a teenager?"

Brooke rolled her eyes.

"What?" I asked.

"You're an idiot, but I love you." She finally smiled at me, and I allowed myself to be happy with her for a few more seconds.

***

"Clark. Don't go, please…" Brooke was calling me while she was dreaming.

"I'm here, honey," I whispered against her ear.

I stroked her hair, and that seemed to calm her down. I felt incredibly guilty. She was having nightmares because of me, and in that instant, the idea that was in the back of my head manifested itself more present than ever. I needed to talk to someone else. I needed the last push to know which direction was correct for me to take. I knew that as long as Zod existed, Brooke would never sleep peacefully. As long as the threat was out there, no one would talk about anything else.

I didn't know who I could talk to about this, I knew Brooke's point of view, and I couldn't blame her. I would have asked her the same, and my mother's opinion would be similar. Who could have a neutral opinion? Who could help me differentiate between what was right and what I really wanted to do? Should I speak to God? Does God really exist? I'd never considered it, but if there was life on other planets, everything was possible, right?

I got out of bed slowly because I didn't want to wake her. I changed my clothes and closed the door carefully. As I came down the stairs, my mother appeared at the front door.

"Where are you going?" She asked in surprise.

"Church."

My mother observed me for a moment. "What about Brooke?"

"She's asleep."

"Do you want me to go with you?"

I just shook my head. This was something I had to do by myself. "Don't worry, mom."

"I hope you find the answer you're looking for, son." She said before hugging me.

***

The reverend had the radio on. I arrived to hear the presenter say, "Who is this Kal-El? Does he actually exist?" At that moment, I couldn't help but remember that time I was waiting for my father when Scott and his bullies threw me to the ground and pushed me against a fence. It was the first time I really felt anger. I wanted to hit Scott even though he hadn't hurt me. I wanted to hit him partly because of what he did to me and partly because I knew he liked Brooke. Still, my father calmed me down and taught me that I could decide which man I wanted to become in the future. At that time, I was tired of being a good person.

I sat in the last row of seats. As soon as the reverend asked me, "What's on your mind?" I told him the truth. What harm could it do if one more person knew my true identity? Besides, he had the confessional secret. Even if he wanted to, he couldn't tell anyone. I told him that I was the person they were looking for. He asked me why they were looking for me, and I answered honestly. I told him that I believed that Zod could not be trusted, but I also did not know what to think of people on earth. When I realized that I would not find the answers I needed there either, I got up, but before I could leave the church, the words of the reverend stopped me: "Sometimes you have to do an act of faith."

I would answer him, but I heard Brooke screaming in the distance, and before I knew it, I was running.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What did you think of this chapter? It seemed necessary to me to write this chapter from Clark's point of view because I like when he goes to talk to the reverend in the movie. 
> 
> What do you think? Would you like to read more chapters from Clark's point of view?
> 
> I'm sorry I couldn't publish the chapter earlier but I haven't had much time to write lately. I promise to update the next chapter soon.
> 
> Let me know in the comments if you liked it :)
> 
> English is not my mother tongue if I have mistakes you can correct me. I hope you liked it.  
> Happy Halloween!


	19. I need you to believe in me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chapter, this time from Brooke's perspective again. I hope you like it.

I woke up breathing heavy and in a cold sweat. I had just dreamed that some huge aliens were hurting Clark in front of me, without me being able to do anything to save him. I could feel my heart pounding beside my hand as I tried to calm my breathing without success. Even though my brain knew it was a nightmare, I couldn't help but feel confused. I turned around looking for Clark and found his side of the bed empty.

"Clark?" I called him in a low voice but got no answer.

I turned on the light on the nightstand and realized that I was alone in the room. I got out of bed, feeling scared. I walked over to the chair where the night before we had both left our clothes, and I saw that Clark's ones were missing. Without thinking about what I was doing, I dressed at full speed, noticing how my breathing was shaking again. Where is he?

"Clark?" I called him again as I went downstairs, taking two steps at a time. "Clark!"

"Sweetheart, what is it?" Martha came out of the kitchen just as I was about to enter.

"Martha! Where's Clark?" I asked with tears in my eyes. I was afraid to hear her answer. Was Clark really gone? Had he surrendered to Zod?

"He went to church. He'll be back soon." She replied kindly.

"I'm going to go find him," I said. I needed to get to the church and see that Clark was really there. Before I could take a step, the front door slammed open.

"Brooke, are you okay?" Clark asked from the doorway.

"Clark!" I ran towards him.

We hugged, and my tears overflowed like an uncontrollable torrent of water. He hadn't gone. He had stayed. He had kept his promise. Clark rubbed my back lovingly before pulling away. He took me by the shoulders gently and lowered his face to my level.

"Where were you going?" He asked with a questioning look.

"I was going to look for you."

He nodded before kissing me on the forehead.

"Do you want to have some tea? It sure helps you sleep better. " He offered.

I shook my head.

Clark looked at his mother over my shoulder. I saw him nod in her direction before wrapping my shoulders and gently pushing me up the stairs, heading for his room.

“Good night, sleep tight,” Martha said quietly.

Once inside his room, he closed the door carefully and turned to look at me with a long face. When our eyes met, I knew what he was going to say. He was leaving. I knew it. I sat down on the bed and waited for him to speak first.

"Brooke, we need to talk." He said, sitting down next to me.

"No. We don’t. I already know what you are going to say." I stood up and took a couple of steps away from the bed. I was too nervous to sit down. "You're going to give yourself to Zod, right?"

"No." He shook his head and got up as well. "I'm going to give myself to humankind. I've been thinking about it while watching you sleep. I’ve thought a lot about whether the people who live on this planet need my help or not, about what I could lose, what I could win, and what I need to sacrifice… there are too many things, but I think this planet deserves a chance. You deserve to sleep and live in peace, and you will not do so until Zod's threat is over."

"I sleep peacefully when you're by my side," I replied automatically.

Clark sighed.

"And I'll be again beside you, but I need to stop him first. You heard what he said. If I don't surrender, he will destroy the earth. Even though I don't trust him, I have at least to try to stop him,” he assured, approaching me. "For you, for Jamie, for my mother, for everyone we know and everyone we don't, and for me as well."

We remained silent for a while, just looking into each other's eyes. I assumed he would be waiting for me to say something, but I couldn't find the right words. My brain was working at full speed, assimilating what he’d just said, and especially with the uncertainty of whether it would be the last time I would see him or not. Clark leaned a little closer to me. He was so close that I could touch him.

"Brooke, I wouldn't want to leave knowing you're mad at me," he commented.

"And what do you want me to do? Give you a farewell kiss? Do you want me to encourage you to surrender to him? I'm not going to do that, Clark. I can’t."

"I don’t want that either."

"So, what do you want?" I looked at him with questioning eyes. I wanted to understand him. I needed to understand him.

"Brooke, you're having nightmares because of him. You just woke up screaming. I was talking to the reverend, and I heard you suffering. Do you have any idea how your torn screams break my heart?" The pain I saw on his face made my stomach clench. "I don't want you to live like this. I don't want anyone to live like this. There are good people on this planet who deserve to live in peace, and I’m the only one who can do something to try to give them back some of that peace. What would you do if you were in my place?" He waited a few seconds before continuing talking. "If there was a small chance that you would face him and win, wouldn't you at least try? Wouldn't you want a happy life for the rest of the world? For me?"

I assimilated his words in silence. Of course, I would try anything to ensure his integrity and well-being. I loved him too much. And I understood him.

"The government has Lois on an airbase. They know that she knows my identity,” he informed me. "I cannot let a person suffer because of me, especially when I can do something to stop it. This is beyond what you and I want as individuals, Brooke. It’s a matter that concerns all of humanity. A matter of life and death. So I'm going to turn myself in, in exchange for Lois freedom, but I wouldn't want to go away and leave things like this with you." 

I nodded.

"I don't want you to go, but I understand that it's your duty," I sighed deeply. "This is the man you wanted to be. You’re the hero that this planet needs. I understand it. I would do the same for you, but don’t ask me to be happy about the decision that you’ve made alone without consulting me because I cannot do that." 

"Brooke, I’m talking to you, and you’ve just said that you would do the same."

"Yes, but you did it when you already had the decision made."

"I need you to believe in me."

"Why? There is not much difference. In the end, you're going to leave anyway."

"There is for me."

I grabbed his hand and squeezed it between my fingers. His skin was warm, and I felt that he was my home. Would he feel the same way about me?

"I'm scared, Clark. I'm so terrified of losing you that I cannot breathe.” I confessed in a low voice. "I wish I could make you stay, but nobody deserves to die."

"Thank you," he whispered, stroking the skin of my hand with his thumb.

Every time he touched me, I felt like my heart warmed to melt. I wanted to feel his skin against mine and his love, always. I looked at him in silence, and then I decided.

"I want to go with you," I said determinedly.

"No." Clark shook his head. "No way."

"If you go, I'll go," I said firmly.

"By no means. I'm not going to let you expose yourself like this, Brooke. You’re afraid of me. Imagine how I feel just thinking that Zod could crush you between his fingers without effort. Besides, I would be worried about protecting you, and that would make me an easy target. You have to stay here with my mother. Also, Jamie is coming in the morning, and you have to be here to explain to her what's going on.” Clark cupped my face. "I've already lost my father," he said, with his voice breaking. "I'm not going to lose you too. That would kill me.” He finished resting his forehead on mine.

"I'm scared, Clark."

"I'm not letting anything happen to you. I'll get him as far away from here as possible,” he assured firmly.

"I'm not scared for myself." I paused to take a breath. "I'm scared for you."

"Baby, you don't have to worry about me. You've already seen that I'm strong."

"Yeah, but…”

"There is hope," he interrupted me, "as long as they're good people in the world like you, there is hope."

I rested my hands on his, which were still on my cheeks.

"Promise me you'll come back," I whispered against his lips.

"I promise. No matter where I go, I’ll come back here. Home is where the heart is, after all. And my heart would be here with you. " He joined his mouth to mine in a kiss that did not last long.

"What time are you leaving?" I wanted to know.

"Before sunrise."

"What am I going to tell my sister?"

"Whatever you need."

I nodded before standing on tiptoe to kiss him again.

****

When I woke up this time, I knew that Clark was definitely gone. By the amount of light streaming through the blinds, it should be 10 am. I took the cell phone to check the news, and if something had happened to him, I could find out there. At the moment, the news that was in all the media was the same as last night: the aliens had appeared on earth, and everyone was wondering what the identity of the person who had been among us for thirty-three years was.

I got out of bed slowly. I took the bag that I had brought with me the day before and rummaged through it until I found my camera. For a long time, it had been the most precious item I owned. I got my first camera as a present from my father, and since then, I have always carried one in my bag. I turned it on and looked at the last photos I had taken. Since Clark had come back, I had only taken one picture of him while asleep with his head resting on my leg. We were in the lake a few nights ago. We didn't even have a photo together. There was no proof that the last two weeks we had been together, and that made my heart clench. 

I took the SD card out of the camera and exchanged it with my oldest one, which had only 16 GB of space. I hadn't used it in years because it was full of Clark and I's photos, mostly from when we were teenagers. Clark had his notebooks, and I had my memory cards. For me, a picture is worth 1000 words. I smiled when I saw the first photo. Clark was sitting on the swing of his house reading a philosophy book. The memory of that moment made me smile. I remember I made fun of him because he had read that book a million times. In the next photo, Clark and I were together; his father had taken it for us, it looked a bit blurry because we were swinging, but our smiles were perfectly distinguished. We were always together. It was funny how a nice memory could make you feel sad and happy at the same time. 

I held back the urge to cry because I had promised him that I would spend the day distracted with her mother. I turned off the camera and put it back in the bag. When Clark came back, I had to take a lot of pictures of him. I made that promise to myself. I opened his closet. It was completely tidy, which did not surprise me. I looked through the sweatshirts until I found one of the school football team and wore it on. Like most of Clark's clothes, it was so big for me that I had to roll up the sleeves. Wearing Clark's hoodie made me feel closer to him.

I went downstairs slowly, without taking my eyes off my cell phone screen. As I entered the kitchen, I found Martha and Jamie baking something.

"Good morning," I announced since the two of them were so deep in their conversation that they didn't hear me coming.

"Good morning, darling." Martha gave me a sweet smile. "How did you sleep?"

"Sister," Jamie nodded, "You look horrible."

I shrugged my shoulders. It was true. I hadn't looked in the mirror that morning, but my eyes were puffy. Every time I cried before going to sleep, I would wake up with my eyes like two baseballs the next day.

"Are you okay?" My sister asked, surprised.

I looked at her and raised my eyebrows. Wasn't she frightened by the threat that loomed over the planet? I didn't have time to answer her because Martha spoke.

"I’ll leave you two alone. I'll be in the barn if you need me, ” was all Martha said, cleaning her hands, before leaving.

I dropped myself into the chair and leaned my elbows on the table.

"Where is your boyfriend? Have you left him sleeping, _little sister_? You must have him very tired,” Jamie teased.

The look of pity I gave my sister was enough to make her zip her mouth.

"Please sit down," I said.

Jamie sat on the opposite side of the table, still looking at me with questioning eyes. I told her everything I had been hiding for two weeks. The reason why Clark had left, why he had returned. I told her about the notebooks I had read, about Clark's powers, and that he was the one Zod was looking for. When I finished speaking, my throat was so dry that I had to get up for a glass of water.

"Are you gonna say something?" I asked when I finished drinking.

"It's not a joke, is it?" Jamie locked her serious eyes on me.

"What do you think?"

"I'm freaking out." She got up and walked nervously from one side of the kitchen to the other. "Why aren't you freaking out?" She stopped and frowned. "Your boyfriend... is an alien. You should be freaking the hell out."

"It just adds up to everything I've seen in the past. It's the explanation that I needed for all the illogical things I've seen. And I've had more time than you to chew it, ” I explained calmly.

She kept moving without stopping. "Do you think Zod... do you think Clark is in danger?"

I nodded, and she came over to me.

"I'm so sorry for all the things I've said about him." She apologized.

"You didn't know anything, and your reaction was quite logical. You only care about me."

"I've been very mean to him, and what Clark has done is very brave."

I looked at my nails. My manicure was ruined from having bitten them.

"Jamie," I took a deep breath before I told her my feelings about Clark. "I love him. I love him from the bottom of my heart. And I have told him. I told him that I love him. And now he's gone, and if something happens to him… we haven't even taken a picture together, and I… I don't want to lose him again,” I finished with a broken voice.

My sister hugged me. I was ten years older than her, but we were almost the same height. People used to say that we were like two peas in a pod. 

"I'm scared, Jamie."

"I’m scared too, but I'm here with you. I'm not leaving until Clark gets back,” she promised. "He's strong, and from what you've told me, he's indestructible. He sure takes a good beating on that Zod guy and sends him back into space. I’m sure he has no weaknesses."

Jamie pulled away and smiled confidently at me. I needed to believe her.

"I'm just not worried about that." I bit my lip. "If he survives, if he manages to defeat Zod, what will happen to him? The government is going to want to know who he really is, they are going to want to use him… ” I began to hyperventilate.

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. Thinking about it now, it's not going to help you at all," my sister interrupted.

"I know."

"We should go find Martha and finish these cookies for Clark. I'm sure he would be delighted to know that you cooked with his mother. "

I nodded and let her lead me towards the exit.

"Jamie," I stopped when we reached the door. "I'm going to go find him."

She turned and gave me an understanding look.

"You were taking so much time to say something like that."

"I can't stay here while he is risking his life."

"I don't know what to say, Brooke. I mean, I would want the same if I were you. If I believed that Liam was about to die, I would run to look for him, but we don't know what we're up against, and we don't have a suit or powers. Moreover, I think this is what you would say to me as well. So we're going to talk to Martha, and we're going to try to reach an agreement between the three of us. Maybe she knows exactly where Clark has gone, right?"

"Okay. You’re right.”

"As usual," Jamie smiled.

"Hey, now that you mention Liam. I don't know how much time is left for Zod to attack the earth, but if you want to go with him, I understand perfectly."

Jamie shook his head.

"No, I was with him yesterday. We said goodbye to each other, just in case. And he's going to stop by tonight anyway. Today is for us. You need me to be here for you, just as you have been here for me a million times."

"Thank you."

She nodded. "I'm going to find Martha."

When she disappeared behind the door, I checked my cell phone once more. There seemed to be any news, and that calmed me down a bit. Would it be stupid to send him a message? Yes, it would be. As well as a distraction. I wondered where he was and if he felt as empty as I was feeling right now. The sound of the door opening again brought me out of my thoughts.

"Brooke, let’s make some cookies," Martha said with a slight smile. The joy did not reach her eyes, and you could tell that she was putting the same effort as me to stay calm.

"The truth is... I want to find him, Martha. Did he tell you exactly which airbase he's headed to?" I asked without wasting my time.

Martha shook her head.

"Sweetie, I promised him I wouldn't let you leave the house. He made me promise to tie you to the chair rather than let you put yourself in danger. "

"Martha..."

"Do you think I'm not nervous?" She questioned accusingly. "He's my son. My son! He's risking his life for all of us, so the least I can do is keep the promise I've made to him."

I nodded in surprise at Martha's tone.

"I'm sorry, I didn't want to bother you," I commented quietly.

"It's okay, sweetheart." Martha paused, holding back the tears." He has asked me to tell you that he loves you very much and that he will be back before you know it."

I walked towards Martha and hugged her. I was worried about my boyfriend, and she was worried about her son. We were both dealing with nerves, and we both had to support each other.

"I love him too, Martha," I said when I pulled away. "And I don't want anything to happen to him. It's killing me to be here knowing he's in danger. I need to know where he is, please, ” I begged.

"He's been gone for many hours now. I don't think he's still in the same place. If he has not returned in the afternoon, we will go together to find him."

Before I could thank her, I had to put my hands against my ears because of the deafening noise coming from outside. The dog began to bark, warning that something was wrong.

Martha walked to the door, pushed the dog away, and left the house. I followed her closely and stepped out just to see a ship land near the barn. I walked down the steps in an inconceivable state of nerves. My hands were shaking so much that I had to hold them tight together.

"Get back inside, Brooke," Martha said over her shoulder.

"I'm not leaving you alone." 

I looked up just to see the ship's door open. Stairs were unfolded and landed on the ground. Out of it, four rather imposing individuals emerged, all dressed in black armor. I felt my sister's heavy breathing behind me. I turned around and looked at her in horror.

"Hide inside. Right now." I demanded her.

"I'm not leaving you alone either." She grabbed my hand and pulled me to stand next to Martha.

The four beings came towards us, walking at a firm pace. It seemed that things could get out of hand very easily. I could feel the tension in the air as they approached us.

"The ship he arrived on, where is it?" One of the invaders asked Martha directly.

She remained silent for a few seconds before answering a resounding:

"Go to hell."

Another of them stepped forward, his helmet turned transparent, and I could see that it was a woman. She grabbed Martha by the neck and lifted her into the air. I let go of Jamie's hand and grabbed the woman's arm, trying to release Martha without success. Before I could attack her again, somebody lifted me and threw me against the house's stairs. My back hit the wood, and before I could process what had happened, everything went black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi,
> 
> Did you like the chapter? Now it's time for some action, and the fight of Zod vs Clark.
> 
> I am not updating as much as I would like but a lot of things are happening right now. I have the end of this story very clear in my head. I'd like to continue it with the events of Batman V Superman, but I'm not sure yet what to do. I don't know if it would be better to write a separate second story for that or continue here. Let me know what you think.
> 
> Thanks to all the people who read this story, and who let me kudos because that encourage me to continue. I would love to know what you think about the story, if you want to leave me a comment I will appreciate it very much :)
> 
> I remind you that English is not my mother tongue, but I am trying to improve my skills. If you detect any mistakes and want to tell me, I will be grateful.
> 
> If you have come this far reading, thank you very much ^^


	20. I’ll always find a way to get back to you

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chapter! Enjoy :D

When I recovered consciousness, the first thing I saw was my sister's worried face.

"Brooke!" Jamie sighed in relief. "How are you feeling?"

I was too confused to answer yet. First, I needed to understand where I was, what had happened, and why I felt slightly dizzy. I closed my eyes for a few seconds to try to ease the horrible headache I had.

"No." My sister shook my shoulder gently. "Don't close your eyes, Brooke. You can't fall asleep."

I slowly opened my eyelids. Jamie was pale.

"Okay, I studied first aid lately in high school. You must listen to me and do whatever I tell you," Jamie explained nervously. "You understand me?"

I nodded slightly, causing my head to hurt so badly that I groaned in pain.

"Quick questions. Do you know your name, right?"

"Brooke."

"Do you remember what happened?"

I think about it. I remembered someone throwing me into the air and crashing into the wall.

"Martha," I whispered in horror as the other memories filled my mind.

"Don't worry. She's inside calling 911," Jamie explained.

I sighed in relief.

"I've lost you for a few minutes, Brooke." My sister squeezed my hand, her eyes brimming with tears.

"I'm fine."

"When you've lost consciousness, I've been so scared that I was paralyzed while they were holding Martha, and then all of a sudden, Clark appeared flying at full speed and dragged the leader with him."

"Clark, where…" I tried to move, but Jamie grabbed me by the shoulders to stop me.

"Shhh. Calm down. You shouldn't move. We don't know if you have something broken."

"Jamie, where is Clark?" I asked in a frightened voice.

My sister shrugged and shook her head. At that moment, we heard an explosion was in the distance, I turned my face to the right, and I could see a column of smoke on the horizon that rose with impunity until it touched the sky.

At that precise moment, Martha approached us. "Honey, how are you?" She asked while leaning down beside me. She took my free hand and squeezed it. "You scared us."

I tried to smile at her, but my lips formed a strange grin.

"How are you?" I wanted to know. The last thing I remembered was that a woman had grabbed my mother-in-law by the neck.

"I'm fine, honey."

There was another deafening noise, and I tried to sit up again.

"The doctor has told me you shouldn't move," Martha explained gently.

"Where is Clark?" I insisted.

Jamie and Martha looked at each other in silence for a few seconds before answering.

"We think he's fighting them downtown," my sister commented.

"What? Alone?"

"Honey, you need to calm down," Martha asked.

The noises suddenly stopped. It seemed that the fight in the center of town had stopped. I felt a lump in my throat. If the battle was over, it would mean that someone had won and someone had lost it. And I needed to believe that Clark had survived. I had to take a million pictures of him when he returned.

"My camera," was all I could say. I needed to get it back because inside were all the memories with Clark.

"I'm going to find it," Martha said. "I want to find the old photo album from when Clark was little, as well." She got up and spoke again before leaving. "You have to stay here please, do it for him."

"Okay," I agreed and watched as Martha disappeared back into the house.

"Did they find what they were looking for?" I asked Jamie when I realized that the barn roof had two huge holes in it.

"I don't know," my sister confessed. "As soon as you were thrown against the house, I screamed like crazy, and I didn't know what happened next. The only thing that I had time to see was a red and blue blur screaming something that I haven't been able to understand and that has taken Zod ahead, destroying everything in its path."

I bit my lip restlessly. The blue and red blur was my boyfriend, and the other guy, Zod, was a deranged maniac.

"I'm sure he is okay, Brooke."

I swallowed hard. I wanted to believe Jamie's words. I needed to because otherwise, I didn't know what I was going to do.

"Can you get me a glass of water?" I asked, feeling my throat dry.

"I can't leave you alone. I'm supposed to stay here and keep the conversation, so you don't fall asleep."

Before I could open my mouth to reply, I heard Clark's ragged voice in the distance, calling us.

"Brooke? Mom?"

"Clark," I whispered. My eyes welled up. 

I raised my face slightly and saw him standing in front of the stairs. He was completely paralyzed. His eager eyes ran over my body as if he was assessing the damage I had suffered, while I did the same with him.

"I'm fine," Martha answered from inside the house.

Clark looked away from me for a second and turned his face towards the door of the house. I assumed he was looking at his mother.

"Me too," I gasped.

Clark seemed to react upon hearing my voice because he raced up the steps, and before I knew it, he fell to the ground on his knees. His face was the image of pain.

"Brooke," he whispered my name in relief. He gently grabbed me by the shoulders, and before I knew what he was going to do next, my sister broke her silence.

"You can't move her," Jamie said, grabbing Clark's hands to stop him. "She might have something broken."

Clark frowned and answered her without taking his gaze from mine. "I've scanned her entire body with my X-ray vision, and she has nothing broken," he reported. Then he moved me gently until I was slightly upright, with my back resting on his legs. When he secured my body against his and was sure that I would not fade, he cupped my face. He rested his forehead on mine and took a deep breath, his eyes still closed. He looked hurt. "Are you okay? Are you okay, Brooke?" His voice was barely audible; it seemed like he was talking more to himself than to me.

I touched his hand and nodded slightly. "And you?"

My heart hurt as I saw his eyes sparkling with tears that seemed about to fall through his cheeks. I couldn't see him suffer; that hurt too much. He was shaking, and so was I. And all we did for a few seconds was to keep staring at each other, understanding each other without having to resort to words.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," Clark lamented. Clark pulled me up a bit more and hugged me. I felt his hand gripping the back of my neck while my cheek rested against his hard chest, and then, as if it was magic, everything was back in place. Although I felt that my body was bruised, everything fell into place again. "This is my fault." He commented, desolate.

I groaned in pain when he pulled me against him tightly. He slowly pushed me away and placed my upper body back on his legs. His gaze was heavy with guilt.

"I'm sorry," he repeated. "I must be more careful. I've gone mad, Brooke. I've seen you lying on the ground, and how they were holding my mother and... I've gone mad. I've destroyed half the town." He paused for a few seconds. "I wanted to kill him. I wanted to kill him for having hurt the people I love, but I couldn't. I can't spill blood. Now, when I just saw you here, I felt like my heart was dying." He gently brushed the hair from my face. "I'm sorry. I didn't think they were going to get here. I didn't think they could get to you."

"I'm fine, Clark," I assured him. "A little dizzy but nothing more."

"I should take you to the hospital," he whispered before kissing my forehead.

"The ambulance is about to arrive," Martha said.

"Mom…" Clark seemed relieved to see his mother, safe and sound, walking on her own feet.

Martha sat next to him and hugged her son, who seemed to refuse to let go of me.

"Nice suit, son," she observed when he pulled away.

"I'm so sorry, Mom."

"It's just things, Clark. It can always be replaced."

"Yeah, but not you." I could feel the pain in his voice. "Not Brooke, not Jamie."

Martha got up, leaning on Clark's shoulder, and clutching the photo albums to her chest.

"I'm going to look for the camera right now," she said, looking at me.

I was going to answer her, but Clark spoke before me.

"Mom, Zod says the Codex he's looking for could bring my people back."

Martha stopped and turned to look at him, just as surprised as I was. "Isn't that a good thing?" She asked, narrowing her eyes.

The sound of sirens distracted the focus of the conversation. I turned my face just to see an ambulance speeding into the  _ Kent  _ farm, followed by a police car.

"I don't think they're interested in sharing this world," Clark said to his mother.

I was shocked to see Lois Lane practically jumped out of the moving police vehicle calling for Clark. Automatically all my alarms went on. What was she doing here? And why was she calling Clark by his name in front of other people?

"Clark! Clark!" She yelled as she ran. When she reached us, she stopped and locked her eyes momentarily on me before looking at Clark again. "I know how to stop them," she reported.

Clark nodded, and I felt Lois's curious gaze on me again. If she had done her homework, she should know who I was by now, right? I doubted Lois had stalked our lives enough, since two weeks ago, when Lois had approached the town trying to inquire about Clark's past, Lois hadn't even come close to me. Something about the way she looked at me made me feel a bit vulnerable. I knew I looked like a mess with my tousled hair, leaning against Clark's legs, barefoot, wearing ripped jeans, and Clark's sweatshirt on that was huge on me. I looked horrible. I knew it. What Lois didn't know is that an alien had just thrown me against a wall. On the contrary, Clark looked like a God from another planet, with the suit stick to his muscles, with perfectly slicked hair and blue eyes sparkling like two precious gems. And above all, I was aware of how Lois was looking at Clark like her favorite food.

The doctors caught up with me, and I couldn't keep checking Lois. They placed the stretcher next to my sister and forced her and Clark to walk away to let them work quietly. During the entire medical examination, I didn't take my eyes off Clark and Lois for a second. The only time I stopped doing it was when the doctor told me to follow my eyes, the light he was moving from one side to the other, in front of my face. At some point, while I had focused my attention on the doctor, Lois had placed her hand on Clark's arm, and I couldn't help but clench my teeth slightly. I felt far away from their conversation and from the two doctors talking to me until one of them cleared his throat.

"You have a minor contusion, nothing that a little ice and rest can't heal," the doctor said as he put the instruments he had used with me in his bag. Then he got up, and before he could turn around, Clark and my sister were already behind him, both looking at me with concern.

"Miss Reed has a minor concussion," the doctor informed them. "All she needs to do is rest. If she's in pain, you can use ice to lower the swelling." He carefully removed the gloves and looked at them. "Any questions?"

Clark and Jamie shook their heads.

"Does anyone else need to be checked?" Asked the other doctor.

"No," Jamie replied.

"Okay. If your sister feels dizzy or you detect something unusual, don't hesitate to bring her to the hospital or call us immediately. Here's my number." he held out a card in her direction.

"Thank you," she whispered, accepting it.

The two doctors came down the steps and went directly to speak to Martha. I assumed they hadn't recognized Clark. Most of the town hadn't seen him for a long time, and they were used to seeing him in his farmer's clothes instead of a hot superhero outfit.

I put my hands on the ground to sit up, and before I stood up, I already had Clark and my sister next to me. I lifted my face and saw Lois watching us from a distance.

"How are you feeling?" Clark asked.

"What is Lois doing here?"

"That doesn't answer my question."

"You haven't answered mine either," I hissed through my teeth. I felt jealousy tightening my stomach a little.

"I'd better leave you alone," my sister commented, visibly uncomfortable. "I'm going to pick up the wreckage inside. If you need me, just call me."

Clark and I stared at each other without saying anything until my sister went into the house. His hands held me by the hips firmly. I looked up and realized that we were too close.

"How do you feel? The concern in his voice was palpable."

"I've been better."

Clark nodded and helped me sit on the porch couch, which had miraculously survived the rage of the Kryptonians. Once he made sure I was seated, he bent down on the floor in front of me and took my hands.

"Lois knows how to stop Zod, so I'm gonna go with her," he explained naturally.

"Great," I agreed. "When are we going?"

"You can't come, Brooke."

"Lois can go with you, and I can't?"

"She doesn't have a concussion, and she knows how to stop Zod. My father taught her."

"Your father?" I narrowed my eyes. "Jor-El?"

Had Lois met my father-in-law before me? Fantastic!

"It's a very long story. I'll explain everything to you when I get back." He swallowed. "The important thing is that hope is on the way. Lois can help me stop him so I can get back to you again. The future is possible, Brooke, and I'm dying to build mine next to you."

"I can help you too," I said.

Clark looked at me tenderly before speaking.

"You need to rest, baby." He cupped my face. "I almost died just thinking that something more serious had happened to you. I haven't felt so much fear in my life. I can't lose you," he confessed, resting his forehead on mine once more.

"You're not going to lose me so easily,  _ Kent _ ," I teased, trying to release some of the tension that accompanied us. "I'm tougher than I look."

"I know. Still, I'm terrified to think that you might be in danger again."

Our lips lightly touched. I was dying to kiss Clark intensely and forget about everything, but there was something in the back of my mind that was disturbing me.

"I need you to promise me one thing," I asked.

"Whatever you want."

"And don't laugh," I threatened seriously, and he nodded. "When you come back, I want you to be my model."

Clark raised his eyebrows and looked at me blankly.

"Since you've come back, I've only taken one picture of you." I explained "and I want to fill the memory cards with photos of you and me. Like when we were teenagers. I want to take a million pictures of myself just kissing you. And I want to print them all and keep it forever," I said quickly.

Clark smiled at me, showing all his teeth.  _ God, I loved that smile. _

"Baby…"

"Promise me," I cut him off quickly.

"I don't need to promise you that. I'm happy to do whatever you ask me. I mean, if all I have to do is kiss you... It's not exactly torture." he laughed.

"Then it won't be hard for you to promise it."

"Okay. I promise. I will take all the photos you ask for."

"Thank you," I answered a little more calmly.

"I love you."

"I love you more."

Clark kissed me gently as if he was afraid that I would break between his caresses. When we pulled away, he looked at me for a few seconds before slowly standing up. Clark turned to leave, but I caught his wrist in time and stopped him. I stood up as well as he turned to face me, and I wrapped my hands around his waist and hugged him.

"Be careful, please," I pleaded, trying to hold back the tears.

"I always am."

"I don't want you to go."

"I know. I'd love to stay with you, but I have to stop Zod before he destroys everything that matters to us."

I pulled away enough to stand on tiptoe and kiss him. He gently pushed my hips until my feet were against the ground again, and it was he who bent down to deepen the kiss. Before I knew it, my hands were tangled in his hair at the back of his neck, and it was he who had to pull away from me while cursing. His eyes were wild, and his lips red, and I felt that he looked just like him. He tucked a strand behind my ear lovingly and stroked my face until he held my chin, making my heart race.

"I don't know how it is possible but, with every second that passes, I'm more in love with you."

His confession made the hundreds of butterflies that lived in my stomach flutter loudly, and I forgot that the world was in danger.

"You say that because I'm wearing your sweatshirt from school, and you've discovered that it suits me better than you." I stuck my tongue out at him, like when we were eighteen.

"Yeah, that's just why," he agreed. "My clothes fit you better, I already told you."

I smiled back at him and realized it was time to say goodbye. I swallowed hard. 

"The world needs you,  _ farm boy.  _ Do not delay in returning home."

He hugged me, and we stayed like that for a few seconds, feeling that if we moved away from each other, the world would break under our feet.

"Promise me you'll be back," I whispered.

"I swear to you. Brooke, you're my home. I'll always find a way to get back to you."

"Don't make me cry."

His lips touched mine once more.

"Try to get some rest,  _ dream girl  _ ." was all he said before heading down the stairs towards the spot where Lois was waiting impatiently for him.

When he left, I stared at the place where they had disappeared, and I stayed there until Martha came up to me and grabbed me by the shoulders. We went inside, and I sat while Jamie and Martha collected all the smashed things and separated them between those that could be repaired and those that would never be together again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi,
> 
> Yayyy it took me less time to update. I hope you liked this new chapter. 
> 
> I have a question, what cute couple nicknames would you like Clark to say to Brooke? Besides from baby, I've been researching nicknames in English but I'm not sure yet. 
> 
> I bought a tool to help me write better, I hope you'd find this chapter better than the previous ones.
> 
> Thanks for reading, in the next chapter there will be some action :)  
> We are reaching the end of this story, I'm sad but I'm also happy. Does that make sense?


	21. Superman

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chapter, enjoy!

I shifted uncomfortably in the chair, and I tried to get up, but my sister put her hand on my shoulder to stop me.

"You need to rest," she said.

"I prefer to help you. I need to be distracted. I've been doing nothing for too long."

Jamie checked her watch and shook her head.

"You've been sitting here for seven minutes and thirty-three seconds. I'm timing it," Jamie reported, smiling.

I sighed in frustration as I watched her reach down to pick up Martha's set of pink skillets from the floor. If they at least let me help clean up, I might forget that my boyfriend was out there risking his life to save humankind. The minutes seemed like hours to me.

At that moment, Martha walked into the kitchen, carrying a huge bag.  "Look, honey, I found this," she pulled a cushion out of the bag and placed it carefully between my back and the chair. "Better?"

I nodded gratefully. I had to try to see things from Martha's perspective. I was nervous, but surely she would be as much, or more than me. He is her only son.

"I want to help," I replied.

"You've already helped enough. You've given my son a reason to do the right thing and to come back," She thought for a moment before continuing speaking. "Do you want to see the old photo albums from when Clark was a little boy? He will probably be angry when he finds out that I have shown them to you, but I'm so glad the album survived. It's what I most feared losing, aside from the dog, of course."

I smiled back at her and grabbed the albums she handed me. I can understand her so well about wanting to keep the memories. You could have many expensive things, but memories were what we tried to keep above anything else. I wanted to hug my mother-in-law, but I assumed that they would try to stop me one more time if I tried to get up.

"Thank you, Martha."

"You're welcome, darling."

"For everything. Thank you for having always been there for us."

"It's true. Thank you," my sister added.

Jamie and Martha coordinated to collect things, and I meanwhile opened the photo album. In the first image, Clark was just a baby. It seemed incredible to me that such a tiny person could have such blue eyes. I was turning the pages and seeing Clark grow up. One of the photos especially caught my attention. In it, you could see him with a red cape tied around his neck while he plays with his dog. It was peculiar that he played at being a superhero and ended up becoming one of them.

In the next photo album, Clark was a little older and was always reading. The following photo was so embarrassing that I had to close in the album. I opened it again and sighed. The picture was from my 10th birthday. I knew this because I wore a T-shirt with a massive ten under the words:  _ Double Digit _ . Ugh. Horrible. My friends from school surrounded me while I was smiling at the enormous cake with a sparkler. I remember that my mother had insisted on inviting all my classmates. I looked for Clark among the pics, and it took me a while to find him. He didn't seem very comfortable, and he was always away from the rest of us, just holding a baby in his arms. That baby was my sister. I remembered then that Clark used to take Jamie's care when we were in other people's company.

  
  


The following photos were from Clark's birthday. There were too many candles on the cake that I can't see how old he was, but the garland on the wall behind me indicated that he was eleven years old. We were in his living room, just the four of our parents, Jamie and us. No one else was there, but that didn't seem to bother him. I remembered that Clark had told me that he was in love with me since we were eleven years old. Would he already felt that way in those photos?

"Jamie," I called to my sister, who came over quickly. I pointed my finger at the photo. "You probably don't remember, but Clark always took care of you."

"Am I that plump cheese ball?" She asked, horrified.

"What are you saying? You were adorable."

Martha walked over, put on her glasses, and looked at the photo too.

"Oh! The birthday where you only invited girls." Martha laughed. "I remember we asked you if it was a girls' birthday only, why you invited Clark. And you always said that Clark didn't count because he didn't bother you like the other boys. Your mother and I regularly fantasize about the idea of organizing your wedding."

"Did my mother think that I would end up with Clark too?" I asked, surprised.

"Yes. One time we asked you if you wanted to get married, and both of you said no. Specifically, you said: _Marry Clark and have to kiss him? Gross!_ "

"What did Clark answer?"

"He didn't say anything. He didn't look away from his book."

I could almost imagine him shaking his head.

As Martha and I were chatting, my sister found the TV under some rubble. She tried plugging it into the wall to check if it still works or not. It worked. Jamie tuned in to the television, and then CNN came on the screen. The album slipped from my hands as soon as I heard the news anchor asked the reporter: "Do we already know the identity of this super guy?"

"Superman. Here in Metropolis, they have started calling him **Superman** ," the reported corrected him.

I watched the tv horrified because, behind that guy, part of the city of Metropolis was on fire. It was all too apocalyptic to be true, like in the movies.

"He is the alien that had lived among us and seemed willing to save the planet from absolute chaos," the interviewer confirmed.

I groaned. Clark. My Clark. He was in danger. My sister changed channels quickly, but all the networks were talking about the same.

"I'm going to find him," I announced, getting up. "And nothing you'll say would stop me. I'm not staying here while he's risking his life. If you want to understand me, that would be perfect, but if you don't, I don't care. I'm going anyway."

Martha and Jamie looked at each other and remained silent for a few seconds.

"Brooke, if you want to go, that's fine, but I'm going with you," my sister declared. "You have a concussion and can't drive alone. Otherwise, we will tie you to the chair because I have promised Clark that I wouldn't let you go after him." 

"If you do that, I will never forgive you."

"Well, then, you can cooperate. If you want to go, I'll take you there, but you're not going alone," Jamie replied, crossing her arms.

I pursed my lips. The idea of putting my sister in danger scared me a lot, but not as much as the idea of sitting still waiting for Clark to show up again.

"Okay," I said.

"Girls, please. Be very careful," Martha pleaded.

The three of us hugged before my sister, and I sped out the door.

  
  


****

**Metropolis.**

When we arrived at Metropolis, the city was in chaos. We could hear explosions and screams, and there was smoke everywhere. There came the point where my sister and I couldn't keep driving, and we had to leave our car abandoned in the middle of a street. We were running against the people. Everyone was trying to leave the city while we were desperate to get inside.

At some point, my sister grabbed my arm, forcing me to stop, and pointed to the horizon. I looked where she indicated, and in the distance, I could see a ship exploding in the sky.

"Clark," I started running faster in that direction. 

We avoided people and ruins as best we could while running hand in hand. There was a loud noise above where we were. I raised my head long enough to see something smashed into the nearest building. My feet and my heart stopped.

"Was it Clark?" I asked my sister.

Jamie pushed me forward, and thanks to that, we dodged a piece of building that had fallen off, and that fell right behind us. I could see the fear in my sister's eyes. 

"Don't stop like that again," she accused. "You have to be careful," Jamie grabbed my hand and pulled me straight to the center of the city.

I looked up to the top of the roof and suddenly saw Clark get thrown away from it. My guts twisted as I saw him falling to the ground. A black spot flew behind him. I was so scared that I could feel the adrenaline running through my body. I saw him plummet to the ground, but he flew high again after a few seconds. I sighed in relief, but then he collided with Zod midway, and the shock wave shattered the glass of nearby buildings. Jamie and I had to duck and use our hands to cover our heads. I raised my head slightly to see what was happening in the sky. Zod grabbed Clark's cape and threw him against the ground. Clark crashed a couple of blocks from where I was standing, wrecking everything, and my legs gave out.

Zod went in the same direction, and my sister and I ran there, too. Clark rose effortlessly to his feet and threw his fist at his opponent, who bent quickly to prevent Clark from smashing his face.

Zod and Clark's deathmatch was destroying half the buildings, which, unlike them, were not indestructible. Cars flew, buses burned, and people screamed in stress. We followed them as closely as we could while they fought. I don't know who pushed who, but they went through one of the Metropolis Central station's wall. Jamie and I approached the entrance, and we ran down the stairs. Jamie tripped, but I tugged on her arm and kept us from falling to the ground.

We took two stairs at a time, but it didn't seem like enough. I needed to get to Clark soon. I needed to see him alive to get my heart beating normally again. As we approached, we heard the screams of frightened people and the clash of metal against metal. We arrived at the spacious lobby that was the heart of the station. It was pretty dark, but I could see that there was a massive hole in the back wall, where Clark and Zod would have fallen.

We go down the stairs to the right to see Clark swiftly evade a punch from Zod. Without thinking, I jumped in their direction, screaming. Clark looked at me in surprise. He was distracted for a fraction of a second, and that was long enough for Zod's fist to slam into his stomach. Clark groaned in pain, and I wanted to cry. Zod jumped in my direction and stood inches from my body. My heart was pounding so fast that I could have a heart attack. He raised his hand to hit me, but before he could, Clark struck him. They both flew to the left and smashed into the opposite wall, destroying the Metropolis Central Station entrance.

"Clark!" I yelled as I ran in his direction.

"Brooke, go away!" Clark shouted over his shoulder. The dust was rising, but I could saw his scared eyes looking at me. "Please, go away!"

  
  


I watched as he struggled against Zod to show who was stronger. As they held each other by the shoulders, they reminded me of the football players he loved so much.

"You have destroyed all that I had left," Zod declared. "Now, I'm going to destroy what matters most to you. If I had known before that this human was your weakness, I would have killed her sooner." He yelled angrily.

"If you dare to touch her, you're going to make me kill you," Clark threatened. "And I don't want to."

  
  


Zod directed his laser gaze at me, the same one that Clark had shown me when he destroyed the tree trunk in the lake. And at that moment, I knew everything would end soon. I was going to die, that was all, and the only thing I could do was look at the person I loved the most in the world. Clark was looking at me, completely scared. The water was starting to blur his eyes, and I felt time stop as I looked at him. Suddenly, my sister came up to me and dragged my arm in the opposite direction. I tripped while running and fell before reaching the stairs. And just when Zod's laser was about to touch my foot, Clark snapped his neck in a quick movement. I was paralyzed.

Zod's body collapsed to the ground, making a thud. Following, Clark dropped to his knees near him. He looked at me for a few seconds, and when he was sure I was completely okay, his heart-rending scream tore my soul into hundreds of pieces. I ran in his direction. I stopped at his height, shaking, and he hugged my waist from the ground. I stroked his head lovingly while trying to calm down my breathing. I repeated to him a thousand times that I loved him, and everything would be alright again. It was all over, but my heart kept beating fast. We were alive. We had been lucky. He was crying, and I felt incapable of doing anything but tried to comfort him. He clung to my body as if I were the anchor that kept him from sunk adrift. I felt a lot of sadness for the man I loved, who was devastated on the ground. I wanted to ease his grief but didn't know what to do. So I just kept stroking his hair.

Although the police cars' sirens' sounds reached our ears, the station was completely silent. It was the calm after the storm. I turned my face to see my sister trying to help up the family that had seen everything. They were crying too.

Clark can't live with his kind anymore. He had decided to protect humankind above anything else. And that made me very miserable. He deserves to be happy. As I held Clark's head, unable to move, I wondered how these events would change the man I was in love with and how they would change me. And once again, I had many questions tormenting me in the back of my mind:

Was I Clark's weakness?

Was Clark mine?

Could he have died because of me?

Could we get over what had just happened?

Would Zod's death change us?

Would he forget himself someday?

We would be a happy couple?

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello,
> 
> I hope you liked today's chapter. This is my first time writing action scenes, so I hope I did well.
> 
> The next chapter will probably be the last, although I'm not sure whether to write a couple more chapters to tell us how they find a house in Metropolis, their move, etc. or if it is better to start a separate story with the events of Batman vs. Superman, I have to think about it, but if you want to tell me what you think, then I'm happy to read you. I like to write cheesy scenes, and I can imagine them very happy when they'll move together. It's a big step in a relationship. 
> 
> Have a nice day, and thanks for reading :)


	22. New beginning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The new chapter is here, probably the last one (I'm not sure yet). Maybe I can write one more but I do not know yet (I'll explain myself at the end).

**Three days later...**

I had hardly seen Clark lately because he had spent most of his time rebuilding Metropolis. He also paid a visit to destroy a military satellite, which he claimed had been set up to discover his true identity. Luckily, no one in Smallville had linked Superman to Clark. 

If someone told me a month ago that I’d be looking forward to seeing Clark again, I’d have thought they were crazy. As I ate a snack, I thought about how my life had changed in the last few weeks since Clark had returned and how I would never be the same again. I almost lost him, and that had marked me profoundly just as it had changed him Zod’s death. 

I didn't remember exactly how we got out of Metropolis. I spent a while hugging Clark in the station until my sister came looking for us. When we went out to the city, everything was crazy. Policemans and doctors ran from one place to another while firefighters kept picking up the rubble, searching for survivors. People screamed and cried as they tried to find their loved ones. There was a lot of smoke, ashes, and dust in the environment. Clark joined the rescue effort, and my sister and I tried to help as much as we could.

Jamie and I returned to Smallville after midnight and went straight to Martha's house. She was still picking up, but we didn't let her continue. After telling her everything that had happened back in Metropolis three times, we convinced her to come home with us.

I felt dirty, sore, and so sad. While I showered, Martha made dinner and tea. I could never thank my mother-in-law for everything she did for us. I had a huge headache that made me felt dizzy, so after dinner, I took an Advil and went directly to bed.

I was rolling in the mattress for what seemed like hours. And I couldn't breathe normally until I felt Clark slipping under the sheets next to me. He hugged my back and kissed me on the shoulder. I tried to turn around to kiss him too, but Clark stopped me. He buried his face in my hair and remained silent for a few seconds.

"Clark, are you okay?"

"You could have died." He mourned.

"You too."

"I have killed him."

"I know. I'm sorry." I grabbed his hand, which rested on my belly, and squeezed it lovingly.

"I would do it again. I can’t lose you."

"Neither do I."

"How do you feel?"

"Tired, but better, and you?"

"Likewise."

I sighed.

"Thanks for bringing my mother here."

"She's also part of my family."

Clark's hold relaxed around my waist, and I took the chance to roll in his direction. We stared at each other. The moonlight slightly illuminated his face. He looked defeated with wild hair, a dirty face, and bright eyes. I realized that he hadn't even taken off his suit yet.

"I don't know if you've heard it, but they are calling you Superman now," I informed him.

He nodded and sighed. I gently brushed away the lock of hair that fell over his face, and he closed his eyes.

"I'm selfish," I commented remorsefully.

"That’s not possible."

"Clark, the city is devastated. There are injured people, destroyed buildings, and I’m happy because you are here with me right now."

He placed his arm around my waist and hugged me against him.

"I know, a part of me felt terrible for having caused so much harm and killed a man, but the other part of me feels free. I think I’ve finally become the man my father hoped. And I don't want to stop trying to help people. And more, if the person who is in danger is you.” His voice trailed off. "Don't do that to me again, Brooke, please.”

"Were you scared?" I asked.

"I almost died when I saw you there." He held me against his chest, and I could hear his heartbeat. "If something bad had happened to you, I would have begged Zod to rip my heart off. I can't live without you. I just got you back, baby."

His words touched me so much that I hugged him tightly.

"I couldn't stay here while you risked your life. And I think you would have done the same for me, right?" 

"Yes, but you can't follow me like this. It's pretty dangerous, and you’re more fragile than me, remember?" His tone of concern made me very sad. "You have to promise me that you'll never risk your life again."

"You may be **the Man of steel** , the indestructible superman who has no weak points. And I may just be a simple and vulnerable human, but I feel so powerful when you’re in danger. I feel capable of anything."

Clark pulled away slightly and frowned at me.

"To be specific, I have two weak points. The first one is you, and the second is **Kryptonite**."

"Kryptonite? What’s that?"

"You should sleep. You have a concussion, and the day has been very long. Tomorrow, I will tell you everything you want to know."

"I'm not feeling sleepy, but I know a way you could help me relax," I said before kissed him. He kissed me back, and soon our breaths turned to gasps.

"No." Clark retired, and I felt empty. "I can’t. You need to rest."

"I would rest... later."

"I'm full of dust and dirt. I should take a shower before stay closer to you."

"I don't care. I still find you very sexy. You’re here now, and that’s all that matters to me. I can't live without you either, baby. I love you so much it hurts. There’s nothing in the world that I feel like doing right now more than repeating how much I love you while we make love." I blushed slightly. "Because we are alive, and we are together. And the rest of the world doesn't matter." I kissed him again, and when our lips touched, time stopped. His fingers dug into my hips, and mine traveled around his chest, stroking the S on his suit. I was grateful to be lying down because I could feel my body completely melt away with his caresses.

I kept running my fingers down his abdomen, and his breathing became heavier. He grabbed me by the hips and turned me carefully until my back rested against the mattress. I felt him over my entire body, and a wave of heat spread over my skin. He was waking my primal needs. I wanted more. I needed him closer. 

"Clark," I groaned his name when I felt him lift my shirt to kiss my belly. "Clark." I tapped him on the shoulder.

"We're not alone," he reminded me as his thumb stroked my neck. "Your heart is racing." His face was so close to mine that when he spoke, our lips touched.

I pushed myself up, just enough to kiss him. I tickled his tongue with mine. The desire and love that I felt for that man overwhelmed me.

"I can't lose you, Clark."

"Me neither," he whispered.

I wrapped my legs around his waist and kissed him passionately. "Please, take off your suit," I moaned against his mouth.

Clark bit his lip and looked at me.

"If you ask me like that, I can't say no." His voice was taking on a seductive tenor. Clark pulled away for a second, and when he was over my body, I could feel his skin against mine. In one swift movement, he pulled my shirt up over my head. "You’re gorgeous, Brooke," he said, staring into my eyes.

"Clark," I whispered.

The ache inside me deepened. Clark knew what I needed. He placed himself between my legs, and he rested his forehead against mine, and then, we became one. We did it very slowly, and I didn’t stop whispering how much I loved him until I collapsed in his arms.

***

My life had been crazy the last few weeks, and I couldn't help but blush as I remembered that intimate moment with Clark. It had also been insane for most people, who were entirely into the duty of rebuilding downtown Smallville. Martha and Clark had gotten into it quite a bit, and Jamie and I had too. Almost everyone was helping.

I hadn't seen Clark since yesterday. When he had come home last night, I was already asleep, and when I woke up this morning, he had already left for Metropolis. He felt more useful there because he could help as Superman, and he can use his strength. In Smallville, he couldn't help dressed as Superman. It was too risky for him to interact with people who knew him all his life; that’s why he did it as Clark Kent.

I looked up just to see my mother-in-law getting out of her truck with lots of food to give to the volunteers who were helping rebuild the main street. I waved at her, and she smiled at me. At that moment, my sister and I tried to lift a block from the ground without success. We didn't have enough strength. Maybe when Clark comes back, I could ask him for a little help.

"I'll help you out, girls," Scott's voice sounded behind me.

"Okay," Jamie agreed.

We carried the block and moved it to the nearest container. When we released it, I sighed in relief and wiped my hands on my jeans. That was too heavy. Jamie gave me a pitying look, and she went to find Martha.

"Thanks, Scott," I said.

"I'm glad to see you're better now," he commented, forcing a smile.

It didn't surprise me that he heard that an ambulance had come to the rescue at the Kents' house three days ago. After all, we lived in a small town, and everyone knew it.

"Thank you."

"It was lucky that Superman showed up on time, wasn't it?" He asked, looking me straight in the eye.

"Yeah." 

"Although it still seems unusual to me that those aliens started invading the earth here in Smallville."

"Well, it's a town near Metropolis that goes relatively unnoticed. It’s not a bad plan." I said.

"I guess..." He left the sentence unfinished. "So you and Kent, huh?"

I nodded.

We were quiet for a couple of seconds. Scott looked at me, thoughtfully. He seemed hurt. And he had reason to be, before Clark's return, we'd go out a couple of times, and everyone thought we were something else. 

"Lana told me she saw both of you a couple of nights ago."

I didn’t answer.

"I would have preferred to find out for you. I feel stupid when she told me because the last thing I knew about you was that you were going to call me again."

I swallowed hard.

"I'm sorry, Scott."

"Maybe I shouldn't ask, but I can't help it. I guess I shouldn't keep waiting for your call, right?"

"No. You shouldn’t," I shook my head.

"I don't like him, Brooke. I perceive something strange about him, and I find it very curious that he arrived in Smallville just before the problems appeared."

"Clark has nothing to do with what happened here,"

A bitter laugh escaped his lips. Here we go again.

"Some aliens are invading the earth, and the first thing you think is that Clark has something to do with it?" I asked.

Scott looked at me and sighed before speaking.

"Is it official then? You and him, I mean." He hid the pain behind a smile.

"Yes. It's official."

He nodded a few times and pursed his lips.

"I need to ask you something." He paused and took a deep breath. "If Kent hadn't stepped between us, would we have had a third date?"

"No one has stepped between us because there is no us, Scott. I don't think I gave you enough reason to believe that we were something else."

"Answer me, please. I need to know."

I think for a couple of seconds. Would we have had it? Probably we could have had a couple more dates. It was the first time in a long time that I had agreed to date someone, and Scott had been waiting about the last two years. But I was sure that eventually, I would have run away, as I always did when someone got close enough. Deep down, no one had ever had a real chance with me. They had always had to compete against the ghost of Clark. 

"I don't think we ever made our relationship official." That was all I said.

"I thought what we had was special. I kissed you, and you kissed me back, and you went out with me again."

"Scott, I've had a good time with you, and I'm sorry. I don't want to hurt you, but I think we should leave the conversation here. I don't think it makes us anything good."

"This is the second time you've rejected me for Kent."

I looked at him without understanding.

"What?"

"The prom." He explained. "I asked you to go with me, and you told me that you weren't going. Imagine what a surprise was for me to see you appear there with Kent hanging from your arm."

"That was ages ago. I don't think it makes sense to talk about it now. Clark and I weren't together then, we were just friends, but I don't have to explain myself. I'm sorry you didn't find out from me, but that doesn't change anything. Clark and I are together. And now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to continue picking up things because that's what we're here for."

I turned to leave and heard his voice on my back.

"I'm going to wait for you. I've waited for you for so many years. I’m sure Kent will leave, he doesn’t fit in in this town, he is a strange guy. And he’s going to hurt you. I just have to wait long enough for him to screw it up again."

I would have kept walking if I hadn't heard Clark's voice say loud and clear:

"I appreciate your concern for my _girlfriend_ , but that's not going to happen."

I turned around, and standing there just a foot away was Clark. He was wearing jeans, and a blue shirt, matching his eyes. Clark clenched his fist on either side of his body, and his face was unfriendly.

"As long as Brooke wants me by her side, I'm not going anywhere," Clark announced.

"We'll see," Scott muttered audibly.

"Clark," I called him before giving him a chance to respond. His face turned automatically, and as soon as our gazes met, his expression softened. I reached out my hand, and when he grabbed it, I pulled him in my direction.

"Bye, Scott."

"Call me if you need anything," he answered.

I pulled Clark in the opposite direction, and when we got far enough, we stopped and talked.

"Was it necessary for you to get in? I was already leaving."

His smile fades, and his expression turns serious. 

"No, but I was listening to him, and it was making me sick. He had seen me arrive. I have included myself in his angle of vision on purpose so that he would know that I was there too. He looked at me. Twice. And yet, he keeps saying those things to you as if I'm not here. I can understand that if he thought he had a chance with you, he hated me because I screwed up his plans, but I'm not going to let him talk about me like this. And less, telling you that he will wait for you while I’m in front of him, at the same place. I think it is disrespectful. And I’m not going to let him say those things to you."

I didn’t say anything. 

"If I'm honest, I’m a little jealous too," Clark said.

"You know you have no reason to be. I love you, _Kent_."

"I know, but you got mad at Lois just because of the way she was looking at me, so imagine if she said those things to me. That bothers me. I can stand that he messes with me because I don’t care. But I hate that he said that I'm going to hurt you when I just want to take care of you and make you happy. It annoys me so much. He's a spoiled guy and an asshole. For fuck’s sake! You're my girlfriend. " 

I laughed.

"What?" He asked.

"Nothing, it's that I've never seen you lose your manners. I’m amused that you are jealous. You look like a caveman: Brooke is my girlfriend. You can't flirt with her." I laughed again.

Clark crossed his arms and shook his head.

I stood on tiptoe and gave him a quick kiss, and that seemed to relax him enough.

"Let's go," I said, pulling at his arm. "We need to finish here so we can go home, and there you can show me how jealous you have felt." I winked him an eye. 

***

**Later that day.**

Clark and Martha had been standing in front of Jonathan’s grave for a while, in complete silence. I wanted to give them privacy and stay at a distance, but they had not let me.

"He always believed you were predestined to do great things," Martha commented fondly.

"Yeah, I wish he was here to see it," Clark answered.

"Clark, he saw it, believe me." Martha bent down and placed the bouquet on the grave.

My heart broke a little, and as if Clark could have heard it, he turned to look at me. I moved to his side, and he put an arm around my shoulders and kissed the top of my head.

"What are you going to do when you're not saving the world? Have you thought of something?" Her mother asked him.

"Well, we're going to stay here for a few more days until Jamie's graduation. Brooke wants to stay with her sister until she goes off to college, and my place is with her, Mom."

"I already guessed that, and afterward?" Martha smiled.

"Then, I think I need to find a job that allows me to keep a low profile and that nobody asks questions when I go to dangerous places."

"And you, sweetie," Martha asked, looking at me. "Have you already thought about what you want to do?"

I nodded and smiled back.

"Yes, I'm going to try to regain the internship I had a few years ago at the Daily Planet."

"A perfect place to access the news and go unnoticed." Clark looked at me and winked.

A while ago, at home, we had finally been able to sit down and talk about our future. We had decided to go to Metropolis. I had confessed to Clark that I wanted to make up for the lost internship to remove the spine from my heart and be able to close that part of my life that was left open when my father died. Clark agreed because he wanted both of us to try. He would take advantage of the fact that he knew Lois to get the interview. And it was he who came up with the idea of photographing him in the middle of a ruined Metropolis with his Superman suit on so that I could send it to the newspaper. No one had a picture of Superman. So that's what I had done. I had sent the retouched photo along with my resume to Perry, the person who hired me years ago. He had instantly replied to my email asking for a price for the photo and Superman’s identity. I had told him that I had no idea who the mystery man was and that the image was a gift if he hired me back. So in a couple of months, Jamie, Clark, and I would be out of Smallville.

"Now, what are you going to do?" Do you want to come home to dinner? I can make something quick."

"We can’t, mom. Now, we are going to the lake. I promised Brooke I'd let her take some pictures of me at sunset."

Clark looked at me, and I smiled at him. The near future begins by taking a photo of me kissing my boyfriend in our favorite place. And I can't imagine anything better to do today. **Today is a new beginning** , and I am looking forward to starting it with the love of my life.

* * *

I want to say a couple of things before reading the endnotes (please don't forget to read them; they have information and a few words that I want to share with you).

I have opened a Pinterest account, where you can see some images of Brooke and Clark that have inspired me to write this story: [Brooke & Clark images](https://www.pinterest.es/JuneEPearson/smallvilles-prodigal-son/)

I have also opened Instagram as well; you could find me there as [juneepearson](https://www.instagram.com/juneepearson/) ^^

I want to show you a couple of things that I have created for the story, a mood board, and the cover for Wattpad (I think I'm going to publish there too). I hope you like it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What did you think of this chapter? I hope you liked it. Although the truth is I am with a lot of mixed feelings. I happy because they are together, but sad because this story ends. We have already reached the end of the events of the movie Man of Steel, and consequently the end of this story. I'm not sure if this will be the last chapter, or if there will be a bonus chapter where we will see Jamie's graduation (I really had a very cute idea of something Clark could do for Brooke, something very romantic and cheesy, because I'm so cheesy), but I'm not still sure if I'll write it or not. Would you like to read it?
> 
> Well, writing this story has been quite a journey for me. It is the first long fanfic I've ever written, also in English. It has been a challenge for me that I have managed to overcome in this rare year. One of my goals for 2020 was to share my stories, and I did it :)
> 
> I want to thank all the people who have commented here, especially to LadyRedStar for all their comments, thanks also to the people who have left Kudos and to everyone who have read this story.
> 
> I think I'd like to continue this story with the events of Batman v Superman. Do you like to read another story of Brooke and Clark? I would love to know your opinion.
> 
> Thank you. Thank you. Thank you for reading my words. I'd try my best with the English language. Happy New Year to everyone. Stay safe.


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